Ghosts and Heroes
by curry-llama
Summary: Danny blames himself for his mother's death, for Jazz leaving, for Jack's change in attitude. Of course if the guilt wasn't wearing away at him his father was, but when Danny meets new heroes he begins to see new possibilities. He never has to feel alone with a whole League full of heroes after all. Danny is one of Justice League's founding members. T for abuse/coarse language
1. A New Day

Chapter 1: A New Journey

 _-Summary-_

 _Danny reveals himself to his parents, no PP, but his parents don't take it too well. They still love him but want to change him back to 'normal'. Danny has a fallout with his parents and when he runs out of his home Maddie chases after him and gets into a car accident and dies. Danny is distraught and Jack starts blaming Danny for Maddie's death. Jazz moves away unable to cope and drowns herself in her studies leaving Danny to live with an angry, and now mentally unstable Jack. Vlad also turns his back on Danny and the only one on his side anymore is Dani (but she's off who knows where)._

 _Takes place in the DC world and Danny will have ties with Justice League as a minor hero. Danny and the Flash will have a special relationship as that's the first real hero Danny will meet and get to know._

-Start-

The travel to Central City wasn't far. The roads were mostly straight, the sun was shining rather a little too brightly, the birds sang their daily choruses in preparation for the day, and Danny got busy packing. He'd quickly given in a call to Sam and Tucker the week before that he would be leaving for the summer break. Usually any teenager would have found this extremely exciting but Danny was always wary. His hands hastily went through his father's ghostly inventions as he started packing. Despite the trembling of his fingers he made sure to not get a single tape out of place when he packed.

He had woken up at five in the morning to complete this task and he knew he had to have it done by seven. The work was meant to be easy but making sure the weapon parts were legally secured was actually a process. He had to mark every dismantled piece and put it away in an orderly fashion before wrapping it in something foamy or another. For a while he'd mused over inviting the box ghost to help him. He was after all the 'Box Ghost the ruler of boxes and the occasional bubble wrap!' That idea was shut down as quickly as it appeared. His father hated ghosts… and by extension him as well.

"Daniel!"

Danny tensed as he heard his name being called out. He could hardly even remember a time when his father called him Danny anymore. He couldn't blame him considering this was all his fault anyway. The basement door opened and Danny could only mentally sigh that he'd finished packing all the boxes. His father's angry scowl didn't change as he looked at his son and then back to the boxes.

"It seems you can get something done," he grunted reluctantly. "Go pack your clothes. If I see any of your teenager crap in my car I'm going to drag you by the string all the way to Central do you understand!"

"Yes," Danny replied instantly as he straightened a little.

His body relaxed as his father left the room. He'd told himself not two years ago that he would eventually stop feeling this way but it never happened. There was always this underlying sense of guilt like he had done something horribly wrong yet again. It almost made him wonder if he shouldn't have come to exist in the first place. He killed his mother and Jazz had left because of him. Of course his father had a reason to treat him like this. He deserved everything Jack dished out.

Danny allowed himself to use his ghostly strength to carry the large boxes to the Ford Falcon his father had bought. The Fenton Family Assault Vehicle had been replaced after Maddie had died. Jack just couldn't bear to drive the vehicle he and his wife had put so much time and energy into without her being next to him. Of course that meant Danny was also not allowed to take the front passenger seat either.

Thankfully the rest of the morning consisted of Jack ignoring his son and getting prepared to leave. Danny took this time to close down the ghost portal and take one rather long loathing glance at it again. Of course the source of all his problems was also his duty to maintain. Soon enough both men had gotten into the car and started driving. The trip had felt suffocating. Occasionally Danny would remember the last time he went on a convention with his family. That was before he'd lost his humanity. He sat at the back with Jazz, mostly arguing with her for the sake of it, while his mom and dad were up the front listening to old tunes and talking about scientific jargon. Now it felt empty.

Thankfully the trip was only around 3 hours, in which Danny mostly took to looking outside and letting his thoughts wander to school work. He'd taken to researching human and ghost biology in his spare time… which he had a lot of now because the ghost portal had proper precautions installed. Ghosts hardly came out and Vlad was out of his hair because now the older halfa also hated him. Why would he after he learnt Danny was the cause of his love's death?

"Take the things to sector B-3. That's where our stalls going to be set-up. Don't show your face around. I don't want to have to explain a disgrace like you," Jack said coldly.

"Yes," Danny said instantly. It was always a quick simple answer. He couldn't find it in himself to actually talk to his father anymore. Thankfully no one noticed him as he went about setting the stall. People were rushing everywhere in preparation for the next day. It was meant to be a convention for inventions that would revolutionise the world. Despite what people thought Jack had the means and knowledge to further science. He had created a portal to another dimension after all.

"You'd think the most star labs would need was a particle accelerator to show world progression. Why do we need our own stall for the convention?" the scientist whined.

"This state of the art tech is way more important. Fission and fusion aside something that can in itself power a whole city is something to be far more excited about. And it's far more compact than a particle accelerator."

"They're never going to release those. Electrical companies and most of those suits sitting up high will probably destroy this in a day. It's all about the profit for them. I can't wait to see how much they care about profit when they let us all destroy the world with carbon emissions.

Danny was a little excited but had to hold himself back when he saw his father approaching. He looked back longingly at the scientists and wondered if maybe he could talk to them later. Of course it would be under the painful category of trying not to be caught by his father. He was meant to be a metaphorical ghost when they went out.

Jack opened started putting together his equipment when he found a missing piece. Danny flinched as he leaned further against the wall. He didn't think he had missed a piece but with his father's furious glance pointedly on him he was sure he was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain.

"Can't even fucking put a few pieces in a box eh? I'll deal with your pathetic ass when we go back to the apartment. Until then get out of my sight," he said in a dangerously low voice.

Danny felt like a stone had been lodged in his throat and phantom pain ran through his body. He bit down the fear scolding himself for failing before he quickly left. He didn't want to anger his father more and he knew deep down inside, that despite not deserving this respite; he would feel safer far away. He stalked out of the hall, digging his face further into his hoodie. He began walking down the busy street of Central City.

He made himself scarce as he sat in a café, twirling the hot coffee cup in his hand, forcing himself to burn a little at the constant contact. He knew that he shouldn't drink something that would make him jittery but he just couldn't help it. The idea of getting high on drugs seemed more beneficial but he didn't deserve any joy.

"You stare any more intently at that cup and you'll burn a hole in it," he heard a light voice joke.

The suddenness of the sentence directed at him made him jump. He visibly relaxed when he saw a twenty or so year old man with amber hair. He vaguely remembered Jazz's hair but quickly focused back on the cup. The cup was a far more pleasing thought.

"I hope you don't mind but I come here often and there are no seats around," the man apologised.

"Go ahead," Danny invited. He didn't mean for it but he sounded awfully rude with just those two words.

"The name's Barry Allen," the man introduced.

"Danny F-Foley," he replied quickly changing his last name. He didn't feel like he deserved the Fenton family name anymore.

"So, what are you doing hanging around in a stuffy café? Are you waiting for a girl?" Barry asked with a grin. He just loved meeting new people and something about this one seemed special. He always knew when someone was special. He'd seen quite a few meta-humans in his brief time as the Flash. He had expected a funny story, maybe something about a breakup, but he didn't expect the almost distraught look the boy's face when he asked the question.

"I… I guess I'm here for the convention STAR labs are inviting inventors for. Of course it's mostly my dad who does all the work! I'm just here for support," Danny explained unsurely. He knew he shouldn't really be talking to strangers all that much.

"You're here for a few days then? How about I show you around? I'm on break right now so I have a few hours to spare. Once you've dealt with the dead bodies they tend to stay buried."

"Sure," the halfa scoffed. Barry couldn't make out whether the kid had taken up his offer or was making fun of his comment on forensics. "I'm free most of the day until seven… my dad want's me back at the apartment by then."

Barry couldn't help but notice the slight quiver in the teen's voice when he mentioned his father. Thankfully he was able to get both of them out of the stuffy café and out into the streets. Walking around in a bustling city tended to make people forget their worries. When most of the people around them were scurrying around tiredly, excitedly, worriedly, it put things into perspective. It even made Barry realise after some time that he wasn't the only one with responsibilities and problems.

"So where are you from?"

"Amity Park, it's a small town in Illinoi."

Barry's interest peeked. "You mean the town that's supposedly haunted by ghosts and was reported to have disappeared for a day?"

The teen tensed at his words but relaxed just as quickly when it looked like he remembered something foul. "Yeah that's the town. I try not to think of the ghosts as being simply dead. There's a lot of science behind how they're formed and why a ghost in Amity Park might be completely different to a ghost created elsewhere."

"Shot away. Now I'm really interested."

Danny mulled over how he should start. After he'd started researching into ghosts himself he'd found them to be completely fascinating. Of course he approached them from a completely different perspective from his parents so he'd come to different conclusions. He liked to think he came from an objective perspective but even scientific minds gravitated towards their own biases.

"The popular idea is that all ghosts are the souls of the dead. Of course that's a completely false impression. It's mostly because media portrays ghosts that way. A true ghost is just a strong impression on ectoplasm. When you die it's not technically your soul that remains considering you'd then still be the same person but rather a very strong emotion you gave during your death. Of course there are other ghosts too, some formed by the collective belief of people, and some are even made by the ghostly inhabitants of the zone."

"That's fascinating-" Barry said before he was interrupted by sounds of mass panic.

He quickly ran to get a closer look, despite the protest of the boy next to him. It was Mirror Master and Barry really didn't want to get involved with him right now. He had thought that he'd taken care of the man's clearly criminal ways but relapses often occurred. The impulse to simply pop his ring and turn into the Flash was phenomenal but Barry held himself back because Danny was next to him. Unknown to Barry, Danny was thinking much the same thing.

"I think we should go/run!" both of them said at the same time.

Nodding a little unsurely the two did exactly that. Barry turned into Flash in the blink of an eye while Danny turned into Phantom. Flash being as fast as he was made it to the Mirror Master first.

"Evan McCulloch, I thought I put you on your reformed ways," Flash said light-heartedly, although there was an underlying threat which was mostly prevailed by cockiness.

"Flash-y, Flash-y, Flash, didn't your mother tell you that it's bad to trust the villain?" Evan laughed, his rough voice much darker than his predecessor's. Flash really found himself missing the old Mirror Master.

"Now why don't you release all those people you've trapped?" Barry tried. If reasoning didn't work then speed would.

"Well if all goes well then they'd be trapped in there forever and you'll be dead," Mirror Master laughed before he tried to shoot Barry with his gun. The Flash easily dodged the attack but began taking the man seriously when several consecutive shots were thrown at him. He was surprised when Evan didn't stop. The man had more charge than he'd previously remembered. Usually he would play the usual trick to trap Barry but it seemed right now he was more than happy to just barrage the Flash with his gun. Just before he was about to be hit a large green shield covered the shot.

A teen wearing what looked like a black and white HAZMAT suit had stepped in. Usually Barry would have chalked all that to meta-abilities but meta-abilities usually meant one thing… this kid was floating and he had no legs but instead something that looked like a tail. Toxic green eyes turned to his light blues and a melancholic smile perked the oddly familiar looking face.

"Nice to meet you Flash, I'm Phantom…"

Barry instantly recognised the name. He had briefly looked up other heroes around the world and there was only two that were highly rumoured. The Batman had been proven a hero just a while back and Barry had even helped him once. He'd also met the Green Arrow and the Green Lantern as well as a few other odd-balls here and there. It was a surprise that Phantom was real but really Barry was already used to the unexpected. What really mattered right now wasn't that a dead boy was helping him but rather he needed to stop Mirror Master before more people got hurt.

"Introductions later, Mirror Master now," Flash replied quickly as he grabbed the teen and ran past the beams of light that threatened to trap him in the mirror reality. He certainly wasn't looking forward to being stuck in one of those again.

Barry ran towards Evan. He was surprised that he didn't make a move to shoot at him this time. He vaguely heard Phantom scream his name behind him before he realised he had just run into a mirror trap. McCulloch wasn't there it was just an impression of him talking. What really was there was a bomb and Barry cursed his inability to turn back in time.

Danny flew as quickly as he could towards the Flash and grabbed him. He turned both of them intangible just in time before the bomb exploded. The mirrors had shattered and people were returning to the real world. Barry just stood there, a relieved and contemplative sigh escaping his lips. Near death experiences never lost its scare.

"That was close," Phantom said as he huffed his silvery hair out of his face in an oddly teenage like gesture.

"He was serious about wanting to kill me," Barry mumbled before turning to the teen, although technically a ghost could be any age and he guessed they looked the same throughout time. "Phantom was it? It's good to meet another hero although I didn't think rumours of your existence were true."

"Yeah there's this ridiculous comic running around about me that's made people believe I was just imagined by some crazy old man with too much time in his hands," Danny defended. "Enough about me, you're _the Flash._ I never thought I'd ever be able to meet a hero!"

Danny was honestly really excited. Before his life had taken a turn for the worst he had idolised and practically worshiped these other heroes. They had been at it far longer than he had and they all had something uniquely amazing about them. Flash was up there but really Danny loved Superman a lot more. He'd based most of his image of Superman and took to Flash's famous quips. Recently it seemed all the snarky remarks had slowly lost its flavour. Even if Sam and Tucker move him a step forward everything else seemed to drag him two steps back.

"Well it's always nice to meet another hero. I mostly help out the Green Lantern when he comes around but you know if you need help just give me a call," the Flash said as he threw a little communication device towards the ghost boy. Danny caught it and couldn't help but smile widely. Are you really a ghost?" Barry asked curiously.

"Yeah but I only became one about three years ago, and people think that death's the end of it," Danny answered shaking his head at the thought. He was honestly beginning to float up and down in excitement. His first hero encounter! The sudden high instantly plummeted when he remembered Barry. "Oh I need to go! Someone's waiting for me!"

"Man I can't believe I forgot!" the Flash groaned as well as he thought of Danny.

Both heroes separated and changed back into their alter egos. Soon they gravitated towards the crowd that had surrounded the cops and paramedics. Reporters were busily taking interviews with the police to see the latest news on the Flash and the mystery hero that had joined him. Thankfully for Barry he was a rather tall man and it wasn't hard to find the unusually small teen.

"Danny, I'm so glad you're safe. I can't believe we lost each other in the mess," Barry lied. He hated lying but it was a necessary evil.

"Um, yeah don't worry too much about it. It was worth it to see the Flash," Danny replied with a wide smile.

Barry was happy to see the depressed teen lighten up a little. Danny reminded him of himself after his mother had been murdered and his father was framed. He always had that same look of a desperate sort of grief.

"Do you want to go check out the rest of the city? I'm working in forensics so maybe if you want I can show you around the lab," Barry offered.

"You're a scientist!" Danny said in excitement. Danny found himself extremely interested in science. His whole family gravitated towards the field and even Jazz found herself dabbling in it before she got into psychology. Recently Danny had gotten involved in bio-chemistry. He had found it useful to study more about his own physiology.

The rest of the day Danny spent with Barry. He soon found himself grinning most of the way, his problems from the morning alleviating as he explored Barry's work. It was amazing to see how the meta-humans around Central effected Barry's work and how the forensic scientist had to come up with some innovative on the spot solutions to finding the criminal.

"Take mini-you over sometime again," one of Barry's co-workers called out.

Danny laughed as Barry stuttered in shock. While the older man was embarrassed, Danny was more than happy to be compared to someone as kind as Barry. He didn't think someone would care enough to spend some time with him. Even Sam and Tucker only bothered when they knew it was ghost related or they'd just go back to study. He couldn't blame them considering even he did that these days what with the workload becoming unbearable. So it felt really nice when someone just hung out with him.

"Hey do you want to come over for dinner? My wife makes some mean lasagne," Barry asked.

"Su-" Danny began before he noticed the time. His smile turned into a heavy frown and Barry felt like he'd lost all the progress he made. "I have to go now if I want to get to my father in time," Danny apologised, giving a weak smile.

"Are you sure? I'm sure he won't mind if we ring him up and ask nicely," Barry asked.

"No! I mean- that's not really necessary," Danny replied too quickly.

"Well then I'll drop by your stall tomorrow. It's the one next to the STAR labs stall right… around B-2 if I'm correct," Barry asked.

"Nah, that's ok I'm sure you have work to do," Danny shut down before a smile spread across his face. "Plus now I can call you whenever," he said happily as he took out his phone.

Barry and Danny exchanged number and separated. An increasing sense of dread seemed to linger around Danny. He had forced himself to forget throughout most of the day because he was having so much fun, but now it seemed to hit him like a brick. Not only had he helped out the Flash but someone must have caught it on camera or on their phone. It would be on the news and that would be enough to make Jack furious. He had already angered his father and now he had made it ten times worse for himself. If the Flash wasn't about to be hit he would never have jumped in to help but… he didn't regret it. He didn't regret the day because he felt hope like he had never felt before.

Slowly but surely Danny made his way to the apartment he was staying at for the night. His hands trembled as he put the keys in and opened the door. His steps made no sound but he could hear his heart hammer in his chest as the thought of his father sent chills of fear down his spine. Jack was sitting at the couch with the TV turned on. Danny gulped as the image of Phantom was shown helping Flash. Jack turned the TV off after a painstakingly slow moment before he turned his furious gaze towards his son.

Danny stood his spot looking at the floor in fear. Jack walked up to him and after standing still for a second backhanded his face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the silent room.

"Do you think you should be helping out real heroes? You couldn't even help out your own mother. You killed her and yet you think you can play the hero?" Jack asked in a low voice. "Answer me!" he shouted as he punched Danny to the ground.

"I-I shouldn't have," Danny apologised as he looked away. The pain was bearable considering he was used to being hit from all his enemies and now his father. What really hurt were the words.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "You haven't yet learnt your lesson," he growled before taking out the modified spectre deflector. Danny looked at the device in horror and tried to run away when Jack caught him and forced it around his son's neck. Danny screamed in agony as he felt his ghostly side electrocuted.

"Look at you. You've become so pathetic that it even affects your 'human form'. You're not even human anymore are you? Maddie would have been so disappointed. Of course she died disappointed in you and instead of making it up to her you kill her!" Jack growled as he kicked his son. Danny curled up against the wall as Jack continuously kicked him and the spectre deflector burnt his neck.

"Say it!"

"I-I'm sorry! I'm a monster. I'm a monster!" Danny cried out in desperation. His own words stinging more than the pain inflicted onto him.

After hearing his son cry out for mercy Jack finally relinquished his assault. He turned the spectre deflector off before leaving his son and taking a bottle of whisky. Danny sobbed on the floor as he curled in on himself.

He really was just a monster

 _-_ End _-_

 _Hey guys, Curry-llama here. Sorry for starting a new story when I've got another one to complete. This idea would just not get out of my head and I just knew I had to write it despite exams being on the way. It was like the time I had the sudden urge to write a Sherlock Holmes Fanfiction. Anyway there's going to be some abuse in it and some foul language once in a while. I don't swear for the sake of it so don't worry too much. People will only swear when the situation calls for it. Other than that there will be abuse and such but Danny really won't be standing for it much longer… I think. XD I haven't really planned this story out so don't judge._


	2. A New Day & A New Hero

Chapter 2: A New Day & A New Hero

-Start-

Barry knew he probably mentioned it every day but it was the one thing he'd never stop mentioning: his wife was the most beautiful thing that happened to him. It was something that he would tell her every day without fail. Sometimes he would change the adjective around a little but it meant all the same nonetheless. She would have even been fine with it if it weren't for the fact that her husband usually said it when she gave him food.

"Iris, you are-"

"-The most beautiful thing that has happened to you. I know," she replied before shoving a spoon of scrambled egg in his mouth to shut him up. She laughed a little when he finished his sentence with a mouthful.

"So I've been thinking. Today's a Saturday and did I mention that there was someone I met yesterday who I'd like to visit again?" Barry asked.

"You've only been talking about him for the past six hours before bed," she said dryly with a small amused smile. "It really turns a girl off when their husband can only talk about another man."

Barry pouted. "Come on Iris, you know you're the only one for me. It's just I see-"

"-Something special in him," she finished again.

"Are you sure you're not a telepath?" he asked her with all seriousness.

"Women's intuition and yes we can go. It's not every day that someone catches your attention. Usually when they do they turn out to be some psycho meta-human and I can't overlook another story," Iris replied.

"I'm pretty sure this time I've hit the jackpot. I'm for certain this time he's not a murderer, a thief, or any sort of otherworldly creature," Barry assured with a small pout.

"Of course honey"

With that said the couple got ready to go out. The scientific convention was in fact a large event. Hundreds of people were flocking around the fair. Scientists displayed their works proudly around their own stalls, some demonstrating the ability of their mechanics and others just presenting the potential if it were to be implemented into society. Barry and Iris enjoyed most of the stalls that were set up earlier when they went towards sector B. STAR labs seemed to be taking most of the limelight in this sector with the other stalls being heavily overlooked. Of course even Barry was impressed with the potential of the photon destabiliser.

"Weren't you going to introduce me to someone?" Iris asked

"Oh that's right. Danny's stall should be that one," Barry said pointing to the mostly green stall. They walked over and could see why it was being overlooked entirely. Most of the equipment related to ghosts and Central hardly had a problem with the supernatural. No one was at the front of the stall either and it seemed the small shed like room behind it was occupied.

"Do you hear yelling?" Iris asked curiously.

"I'm not sure but maybe Danny's there and we can meet his dad," Barry suggested.

Barry and Iris walked in to hear some harsh words being spoken.

"You're fucking pathetic! You can't even assemble some simple tech together. Jazz would have done it in five seconds. Should have just aborted you when we had the chance!"

Jack was about to hit his son when Barry caught his hand. Inside the hero was seething with anger. No parent should ever have talked to their child like that. Iris was also about to give the large man a piece of her mind.

"I don't think you're acting appropriately," Barry growled dangerously.

Jack yanked his hand away and glared at the red head. "And who exactly are you to tell me how I should discipline my children?" he growled.

"I'm his friend," Barry growled before helping up Danny and leading him outside. A momentary sense of relief washed over the teen before he started panicking. He was outside and away from his father but he needed to get back.

"Barry, I need to go back! I need to apologise," Danny said fearfully. Barry tightened his grip around the boy as gently as he could. He couldn't have his father hurting him again and suddenly it made sense why Danny was acting so odd yesterday.

"Danny, was it? That's not a proper way for your father to treat you. Is he hurting you? Should we contact someone for you?" Iris asked worriedly.

Danny yanked himself away from Barry, hurting his bruised ribs from the rough motion. He cringed but managed to straighten himself up. They didn't know it but they were only about to make things worse for him. While Danny was touched at their worry it didn't change his situation. He needed his father. He was the only one with enough ectoplasm to keep him running.

"Look what happened in there was my fault. Dad was waiting all year for this convention and I messed up packing the equipment he needed. He was only scolding me for it," Danny defended hotly.

Before Barry could convince the boy otherwise the metal roof collapsed inwards about to fall on screaming people. Barry didn't have time to worry if others saw him transform. He quickly poped his ring and changed into the Flash before he ran all the people to safety. Danny stared at the spot where Barry had suddenly transformed into the Flash to. It took a whole minute for him to process the information he was just given.

"You're unusually fast today, Flash," Mirror Master growled in irritation.

"Well I happened to be around the vicinity," Flash replied with a smirk.

"You certainly didn't think it through did you?" Evan laughed.

Barry was a little shocked before he realised what the villain was talking about. This whole convention was being held under metal reflective surfaces. In that moment Barry knew he was trapped. The ray hit him and sealed him inside the wall.

Evan laughed maniacally as people screamed and ran. "Look at them Flash! Look at them running away when you're the one who needs help! This is the people you protect!"

Danny and Iris watched in horror as the flash hit the mirror from the other side. His face looked panicked as the Mirror Master ran towards the STAR labs stall. He picked up the photon destabiliser and grinned largely.

"You know why I came here Flash? It was for this beauty. Did you know hypothetically that it can destroy someone trapped in the mirror world? Let's try it for the sake of science shall we," he laughed.

Iris moved forward to stop the man when Danny held her back. "Don't be an idiot! The charge in that thing can kill you as well," Danny growled.

"I don't care! Barry's going to die!" Iris shot back worriedly.

"I'll do it," Danny said quickly.

 _Transform one more time and you'll be begging to go to the hospital._

Danny felt himself stiffen as he remembered Jack's threat before he noticed Barry's fear stricken face. He couldn't move past panel he was stuck inside and he was about to die. Barry's infectious smile and his carefree laughter made it back to Danny's mind. He wasn't just about to save a hero he was about to save a friend and even his father couldn't stop him from doing that.

"Going ghost!" Danny shouted as he turned into Phantom. The Spectre Deflector around his neck from last night's punishment stung a little more but Danny felt familiar power rush through his system. Before Evan could shoot Barry, Danny shot the photon destabiliser out of his hand. Evan shot his hand back at the sting. His eyes went back to the ghost boy and frowned.

"You're the pesky boy that meddled yesterday! You're going to share his fate!" Evan growled as he took out his mirror gun and shot Danny. Danny turned intangible before he flew straight into Evan and took possession of his body. Danny hardly ever fought humans but when he did he was not afraid to possess them. Quickly he took off his armour and destroyed the gun before knocking himself out.

"You're Phantom," Iris said in wonder.

Danny nodded with a small frown as he tied Evan up with some rope. "And Barry's the Flash," Danny mumbled. "How do we get him out?"

"Break the mirror opposite to him," Iris replied.

Danny wheezed a little as he broke the mirror. Barry came stumbling out when Phantom turned into Fenton. Danny groaned as he coughed out some ectoplasmic blood. He grabbed his neck in pain before looking around for Jack. When he didn't see him around Danny sighed with relief knowing his father had run to safety like everyone else.

Barry knelt next to ghost in worry when rings of light travelled down his body revealing Danny. He gasped at the sudden transformation. Usually he would have made a quip on how he had been right but he was feeling far too worried to do that.

"Are you okay Danny? You're coughing blood," Barry asked.

Danny nodded, feeling a little better now that he was in his human form. Even though the deflector wasn't turned on when he was in ghost form its energy residue still hurt his ectoplasmic make-up. He felt himself destabilise a little every time it affected him.

"So you're the Flash," Danny said, trying to change the subject.

"And you're somehow a ghost and a human. Look that's not what matters right now. We need to get you medical attention," Barry said.

"The device on my neck… could you take it off please," Danny rasped out.

He slowly pulled down his black hoodie and Barry was both shocked and disgusted at what he saw. A metal, belt like contraption was around his neck. What really worried him was the red skin surrounding it, dripping red and green and scabbing horribly.

"Did _he_ put it on you?" Iris asked in disgust only to have the boy not reply.

"How do we take it off?" Barry asked quickly.

"I can't reach the back of it but there's a sequence of locks that you'd need to see to take off," Danny explained.

Barry quickly got to it while Iris held Danny's long thick hair up and out of the way. It took a good while to figure it out but they finally did it after a while. The halfa felt infinitely better once the device was taken off. He had been meaning to ask Jack to do it once his father calmed down but he was too afraid to. Danny took the device gingerly and pocketed it.

"Thanks, it should heal by tomorrow. Don't worry I don't scar too easily," Danny lied. If he were to be honest he would have said that this small of a scar would be gone by the next year

"That's not what I was worried about," Barry said roughly, feeling the anger burn through his calm façade. "Your dad did this to you didn't he?"

"He-he means well-" Danny tried.

"Don't make excuses for him," Iris said sternly, although her hand was placed in a comforting gesture atop his shoulder. "If he's hurting you then we can call the police and you can live with us until we find other arrangements," she offered.

Danny sighed a little contently. Sam and Tucker often worried about him like this but they never made an offer to help him move out. With them the idea of responsibility and protecting Amity Park from ghosts had taken priority. It was nice that for once someone put him over the safety of others.

"Thank you but… I can't. I would have agreed if I were in a better position to do so but I need a constant flow of ectoplasm just like most other ghosts do. If I don't get it I'll most likely destabilise and the only current source of it I have is with my father… but I'll definitely take up your offer once I figure out how to build my own portal."

Barry and Iris didn't like it but they didn't have any alternative to offer the boy. Danny was helped up by the couple as they evacuated the building with the rest of the participants. All the people attending the convention were huddled together outside chattering about the recent attack. Reporters and police had only just swarmed in to get the latest news. Danny just thanked Clockwork that nobody was inside to take another video of him. If Jack saw another one then Danny knew he would probably be beaten to an inch of his half-life.

"Danny, you know how to keep in contact. If you need any help I'll be there in a Flash," Barry assured, a smile crossing his face at his obvious pun.

"I'll be counting on it," Danny replied with a chuckle. He hugged Barry to which the hero tensed up before melting into as well. Iris watched on with a sad smile as Danny pulled away and stalked off to his angry father.

"He deserves better," Iris said with a frown.

"Something tells me he'll be figuring out what he needs to soon," Barry predicted as he held his wife close.

"So what did I say about an otherworldly being…" Iris smiled mischievously.

"But he wasn't a demon," Barry whined. "Okay, okay you win the bet."

-End-

 _Ok I just wanted to say the number of people that read and reviewed were insane yesterday and I'd originally planned to release this sometime next week but then I thought you guys have been nice so why shouldn't I. So I released this chapter._

 _Ok next chapter will get into the actual Justice League storyline and Sam and Tucker will cameo. I think Danny came along as a little depreciative of them in the last chapter but really Sam and Tuck are still his friends. I saw no reason why they would be affected by Danny's family fallout so they'll still be the ever loyal sidekicks._ _And there will always be some Danny/Barry friendship and bonding. I just can't help but see those two as best friends if they met up in real life. Both are snarky and fun to hang around with and they're not too serious like Batman or overly justice driven like Superman. Anyway thanks for the reviews and if anyone asks questions please be sure to look out on these sections because I will answer them. Ciao_.


	3. A New Day & A New Invasion

Chapter 3: A New Day & A New Invasion

-Start-

It had been three weeks since the convention. Danny had been thoroughly beaten after he had come back and yelled at over the smallest of mistakes. It was really beginning to put the halfa over the jittery edge so to speak. Thankfully a week before his mid-terms Jack had eased on the physical assault as he wanted his son to get good marks. Danny didn't really understand but he guessed that maybe even his father knew mom would be angry with him if he let his son fail at school. He just didn't understand how that took precedence over his safety. Thankfully for Danny he had two great friends and the Flash to make sure he remembered he was still loved.

"I can't believe exams are over," Sam said happily as she leaned on her chair.

"Yeah, now we can actually hang out-" Tucker said before he realised his mistake. He looked at Danny and cringed. "Sorry about that man, I wasn't thinking," he apologised.

"It's not your fault," Danny sighed as he hid further into his hoodie.

Sam and Tucker looked at their friend with worry. They had their hands tied about his situation for a long time now. They tried to help in the only way they possibly could by copying the documents for the portal and trying to figure it out. So far Tucker and Danny made most of the progress. Sam would occasionally go out ghost hunting instead of Danny to let him work on the portal. All in all it made the trio quite tired from all the work they had to commit to. Being in senior year didn't help either.

"Don't worry about it Danny," Sam comforted, "by the time you're 18 we'll get you out of there."

"And kick your dad where the sun don't shine," Tucker added with venom. "Are you really serious about him not letting you out?"

"Sometimes I really want to punch him," Sam growled.

Danny was happy that he had such great friends. Although Sam and Tucker couldn't really offer him much they were always there. He didn't really expect much from them though. They were after all only kids. It wasn't like they could somehow kick out his dad and make sure he lived at his home at the same time. If Danny went into foster care he would surely be sent somewhere without constant ectoplasm and he'd destabilise in no time.

"It's not his fault though," Danny sighed. "I made him this way after all."

The trio sat in silence for a while, contemplating when exactly their lives had gotten so complicated. Sam was really regretting not giving Jazz and earful for leaving her brother but she couldn't just have her drop her future like that. She had gotten admission into MIT, a prestigious university, and she wasn't about to tell Jazz to drop all of it. Danny would have never forgiven her if she did… but now she could never forgive herself. She knew her best friend was being abused and she said nothing… saw nothing.

"I need to be going," Danny said softly as he pulled his hoodie down further. He'd grown a little but not enough to be the size of Jack. He'd reached his mom's height and it seemed to stop there much to his displeasure. To make matters worse his ghostly half always resembled his 14 year old self. At least death always looked the same.

"Danny," Sam called out worriedly, "if he does anything too bad just call ok."

Danny nodded but didn't say anything. He gave his friends one last longing glance before he moved to go home. Jack had been extra angry with him since the convention and although that was a weeks back he hadn't gotten over being disobeyed. Danny did not protest how it wasn't his fault that he needed to save Barry's life the second time around. That was the one decision that Jack could never make Danny feel guilty about. He could make him feel guilty about killing his mom, driving out Jazz, ruining his father's life, even existing but he could never make Danny feel guilty about saving Barry. It was, as Danny had convinced himself, the one good thing he did in his life.

He walked into his house and quietly closed the door. Danny would then usually make some food for his father, mostly starving himself unless he was told he could eat, and then go upstairs to do his 'school work'. In reality he would be looking over the plans for making a portable ghost portal so he could move away from his father. It didn't even have to be big enough to go through but just enough to get the ectoplasm he needed.

"Snapper Carr, reporting. It's been six months since Senator J. Allen Carter's disarmament plan has been ratified. While Superman has been working around the clock to disarm hundreds of war heads, public support for the plan has swelled-"

Danny found him stopping and watching the news for once. Somehow he wasn't surprised that a bunch of hippies were supporting the idea of disarming countries. He was surprised that no one figured out that countries could still do this behind the UN's back. Heck he wasn't seeing North Korea sign this. Were they planning to leave themselves defenceless or what? But he decided that because it was Superman saying this then maybe it was the right way to go. Did he mention that he had several posters and paraphernalia of him in his room?

"Hey, the big guy has his heart in the right place but give me a break. I'm the fastest man alive- and even I can't be in five places at once," Flash said with his usual cocky ease as he did just that. Danny couldn't help but snort in amusement before a glare from his father got him back to work.

"Still with more missiles being dismantled every day, most of us will sleep better knowing that Superman is watching over us-"

"That's a true hero," Jack praised before turning to Danny. "Not someone who's out to destroy the world."

Danny flinched at the comment made about Dan. He wondered why he had ever told his parents that after he came out to them about being a ghost. No wonder they were obsessed with curing him before everything went down the drain. Before his father could make more verbal assaults at his son, Danny heard a thunderous noise. He ran out of his house and noticed that there was a large rock that had crushed his neighbour's houses. He paled at the thought of them being in there.

"What in the name of the ghost zone-" Jack cursed.

Danny could vaguely see his neighbours crowding around the asteroid and some running away with good sense. Danny also found himself standing on his guard as the rock shook. Before he knew it claw like legs cracked open the rock's shell and a giant white and purple spider like creature came out. Jack had instantly taken out his ecto-guns but Danny knew instantly that this was not a ghost. He looked at his father desperately.

"You are not transforming into that monster! Go inside and shut the door," his father growled.

"But it's going to hurt them," Danny cried out as he looked helplessly back at the people who were running away from the monster. Danny was about to run and help when Jack pulled him back roughly. The wound from the beating he got from two nights ago opened at the sudden and harsh pull. Before he knew it one of his neighbours were impaled under the large spike like legs of this alien creature. Danny yanked himself away from his father his obsession crying out for him to protect the people. Against his father's wishes Danny transformed into Phantom and slammed the creature into the street. It fell backwards before regaining its stance and shooting laser like beams at him. Danny dodged them before throwing high powered ectoblasts at its legs and disabling it. Once it was on the ground he powered his arm and flew straight into the top of it and destroyed it. Danny flew back up and looked around to see if there were any more when he saw a familiar red streak come at him.

"Phantom!" Barry called out.

"Flash, did you see that?" Danny asked.

"Yeah and there's a bunch of them around. Want to do some clean up with me?" he asked.

Danny looked behind him to see his furious father and then the dead body of the neighbour he had never talked to. He bit his lip torn between the choices. If he left right now when he came back he would most definitely be asking for a beating. Despite this he looked at Flash and nodded. He was shocked when Barry grabbed his arm and pulled him down to carry him bridal style.

"Wha-"

"Trust me, it's faster this way and there's a bunch of heroes you'll be meeting if you come with me" Barry said as he sped across the world in a few seconds.

Danny couldn't even process how fast the world was going by him before he landed in a completely different place. The scenery changed from Amity's suburban houses to a cold hillside. Danny shakily got off of Barry and felt like puking. Super speed was way worse than car sickness.

"Hey Bat's how's it going?" Flash greeted as he saluted Batman.

Bruce looked at Barry and then to the gawking… floating teenager. Before he could question why Barry had bought in a child, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Superman and an unknown woman joined them. Flash looked at the hottie and approved. Hey he could appreciate beauty even if he did have a wife.

"Where have you been all my life?" he asked her.

"Themyscira," she replied with confusion.

"I thought the island of women was a myth," Hawkgirl said as she landed.

"I assure you it's as real as the land I stand on. I am Diana, princess of the Amazons."

"Pinch me I must be dreaming," Flash said dreamily.

"Me too," Danny agreed staring wide eyed at Superman. He shook the Man of Steels hands excitedly. "My name's Phantom sir, I'm a great fan!"

The team looked at the teen in confusion before Wonder Woman spoke up. "I sensed horrible omens. I could not stand idly as the world of man fell."

"Well it's lucky that you got here when you did," Superman replied.

The Martian stepped forward and finally decided to speak. He had been keeping quiet until now but the circumstances were dire and these heroes needed to know what was happening. "No it was not luck, I telepathically summoned all of you here… except for the boy."

"Ok tell me I'm not the only one not getting anything that's going on here?" Flash asked, voicing everyone's concern. Danny raised an arm and replied, "I am too."

J'onn decided that he would give the story and so he spoke of his planet, how it had been one of peace, how it was invaded, how everyone was killed, and finally how he'd used the nerve gas to paralyse the invaders. Danny was enraptured in the tale, admittedly wondering most of the time what it was like in space, far beyond Earth, and in a different planet. He felt only great sympathy for the Martian when he said he was the last of his kind. Danny was never so grateful for Dani and Vlad than he had been at this moment.

"Until astronauts from Earth unveiled the stronghold and accidently revived the invaders," J'onn finished.

"Wait those astronauts never said anything about finding life on Mars," Barry pointed out.

"Some pencil-pusher in Washington probably decided it should be classified information," Green Lantern grunted.

"I narrowly escaped and came here to warn of the coming danger. While I was being held against my will the invaders sent advanced agents to disable Earth's defences," J'onn explained.

"That's why they sabotaged the deep space monitoring network so we couldn't detect their activities," Batman concluded.

Danny watched in awe as the heroes started talking. All this talk about an alien invasion and a resistance was going over his head… especially when his hero was standing opposite to him.

"We've got to stop them before it's too late," Green Lantern exclaimed.

"It may already be too late," J'onn replied gravely.

J'onn turned to the horizon and an ominous black cloud loomed ever higher as lightning struck. Danny couldn't help but feel incredibly worried at the sight. The cloud seemed to be rather far away but if its size was saying anything then it was definitely large.

"What are they doing that could cause that much friction?" Danny asked worriedly.

"The invaders are nocturnal. They're trying to block out the sun so they can live in perpetual darkness," J'onn answered.

"Friends of yours?" Flash asked the Batman.

"Not time for jokes," Batman replied not impressed. Trying to redeem himself, Barry decided to ask if Jonn could just whip up another batch of nerve gas.

"Unfortunately no, the gas can only be made by a rare Martian plant. I bought a sample with me but it was destroyed when I was captured."

"Ahh what's plan B?" Danny asked, standing by the Flash in worry.

"We'll have to take out those factories," Diana said, quickly coming to her conclusion.

Green Lantern was not liking this. Was he the only one who was seeing a kid and a rookie in their midst or was everyone blind? He couldn't just allow random people he'd never met to join him on saving the world. There had to be some sort of protocol for this.

"Lady, this is no job for amateurs or children," he said to the Princess before turning to Danny.

"We Amazon's are born warriors! Want to test me?" she growled back.

"And I'll have you know that just because I look like this doesn't mean I'm this age," Danny replied before he started counting his fingers. "And I've been at this job for three whole years! So there-"

"Let's not fight amongst ourselves. John, we're going to need all the help we can get," Superman said defusing the situation and getting a dreamy sigh from his new fan-boy (Danny).

"Fine. Sorry your highness," he said condescendingly before he turned to the team. "Tactically we have multiple objectives. We'll need to split into teams."

"Dibs on the Amazon/Superman," Barry and Danny said at once. Diana looked at the red costumed man in confusion while Superman gave an uncomfortable glance at the boy who looked like he practically worshipped him, and then they both looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

Danny groaned as both he and Barry glared holes in Green Lantern's back. They had been each put into teams and Danny was less than happy that he wasn't going to be with Superman. He was also a little angry at Barry for ogling another woman when he had Iris.

"You're no fun," Danny commented a little upset.

"This isn't supposed to be fun but of course you would think like that. This is why we don't have children playing hero," Green Lantern growled.

"I'm a ghost dammit. For all you know I could be older than you and like I've said before and I will say again I've been in the business for three years."

"The kid has skills. Give him a go," Flash added as he ran across them on water.

"Only when he proves himself," the stoic African-American growled as he flew a little faster.

The trio made their way towards the forest like land of Africa. Danny mostly piggy-backed because the wound from earlier was ripping open like crazy. He made a mental note to get Sam to stitch it when he went back to Amity. They finally stopped at a high vantage point. A large curved, alien device had latched itself to the ground turning the sky dark.

"That is our target, here's our plan," Green Lantern said before he was interrupted.

"What plan?" Barry asked with a cocky smile.

"Let's kick some butts," Danny agreed as he flew in with his friend.

Green Lantern watched the two heroes and sighed. Still he decided to watch and give them a chance. At least he could figure out their skills and abilities with this. Flash had made himself a target, one of his usual tactics to confuse the enemy and lead them where he wanted. Danny had snuck up behind another and shot its legs with some green energy that John knew wasn't from the Lantern ring. Barry was making some progress when he stepped on one of the Invader's mines which exploded and trapped him in a sort of yellow goo. He had crashed into Danny at that point and got both of them stuck in it.

"Fools," he sighed. John went in and blew up the remaining walker and flew down to the sheepish looking Flash and Phantom.

"Sort of stuck here," Flash laughed forcefully. Danny struggled, feeling increasingly embarrassed that he couldn't just faze out of the sticky substance. Then again these had been created to hold Martians and they could change their molecular density as well.

"I hope the others are having better luck," John said, mostly to himself before he got to cut his teammates out of the goo. "I'm tired of the both of your attention grabbing, bone headed, suicidal moves! Haven't the both of learnt the word teamwork?"

"Let's save the motivational speeches for later," Barry suggested as he jumped up and dragged Danny with him before the laser hit the both of them. The two remaining walkers let out some sort of gas that penetrated through John's shield. Barry quickly used his hands to create enough wind to move the gas away. He noticed that it had incapacitated his friend and instantly knew they needed to retreat. If the walkers had any more of those then they'd all be dead. He quickly picked up John.

"Danny we're making a run for it," Barry called out as he picked up John.

"Sure thing boss," the halfa replied as he stopped firing at the invaders and followed Barry (a hard thing to do when he was the fastest man alive).

Soon enough Barry found himself carrying John (who was already quite heavy) and also having another person cling onto him. He'd noticed the wound earlier but he'd never really mentioned it. He didn't want to give up Phantom's cover but now it was too much. He could see that Danny was having trouble breathing.

"When did you get hurt?" he asked. Danny's grip on his shoulder tightened as he looked away, and now even John was getting a little curious.

"About two days ago. It's ok, I'll stitch it up when I get back home," Danny said making no room for discussions. Barry shut his mouth because he knew John was with them or he seriously would have given the younger hero a pep talk about fighting when injured.

When they reached back at Washington Barry, John and Danny split up and helped some civilians. It wasn't until they got a telepathic recall that they followed the image to where the other heroes were.

"Sorry we're late, had to stop by to help some civilians," John apologised.

"Why did you call us back?" Danny asked a little angrily. His obsession was stressing for him to go protect some more.

"Superman and Hawkgirl are trapped in there somewhere," Diana said as she pointed to another Invader base.

"What about Batman?" Flash asked looking around. He had personally gotten too attached to the Dark Knight not to notice.

"He acted heroically to the end," J'onn replied, his eyes closed in respect.

"The Bat's gone," Barry said in disbelief as he slumped down on the roof. Danny stood behind him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sam would be devastated when he told her this.

John looked out at the destruction caused by the invaders and frowned. They couldn't delve on Batman right now. The Dark Knight would have wanted them to pay attention to stopping the problem first.

"We need to get into their base," John said gravely.

"Are you sure we should be doing this again?" Barry asked worriedly

"If Superman and Hawkgirl are in there someone's got to rescue them," John said in a no-nonsense way before he turned to J'onn. "They are in there right?"

"Yes you're friends are alive but we must act quickly. The Imperium is coming."

"The who?" Flash asked.

"The Supreme Intelligence that controls the Invaders. We have met before," J'onn explained.

Flash turned to John and narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure we can trust this alien guy?" he asked.

"He's a goddam alien Flash, of course we can trust him," Danny said with sparkles in his eyes like that explained everything. Could you blame the kid when all he did was dream about space? It was also one of the reasons he loved Superman a lot.

"We have no choice," GL finally relented. "Ok we're going in. Flash, Danny you two create a diversion. Diana you watch my back."

"Do you want to rely on an amateur?" she asked with a victorious smirl.

John didn't say much before he flew in. Danny and fist-bumped each other before hitting the road. They easily caught the attention of the walkers what with all their attention seeking prowess. Danny quickly shot a few of their legs forcing them to fall to the ground while Barry rounded them up with some rope and crashed them into each other.

"We should work together more often!" Barry yelled out to Phantom. "Hey do you want to try out that special move we were working on together?"

Danny swelled at the praise. It made him feel like he could take on the world. He quickly nodded in agreement because he really wanted to impress Barry. Barry stood his ground and Danny stood in front of him. Both men held their arms out, Danny charging his ectoblast while Barry spinning his hands to create a Tornado.

"Ecto-hurricane unleash!" Barry yelled out in excitement as Danny let out his charged ectoblast and it merged with the power of his hurricane. The power of the attack completely demolished five walkers at once. The two heroes took a moment to enjoy just how well their combined technique worked before they high-fived each other.

"That was sick!" Danny said with excitement "although we really do need to come up with a better name. Ecto-hurricane sounds like it was made up on the spot."

"It _was_ made on the spot," Barry chuckled. "Ok then mini-man let's go before the others miss us."

Barry grabbed Danny from underneath his arm before running into the alien Invader's base. Inside the base reminded Danny of one of those sci-fi movies he had watched before where the interior of the mothership looked like irregular arches with no real direction going for it. He guessed that maybe aliens had a better sense of direction because seriously every curve and turn looked the same to him.

"Hope we didn't keep you," Barry said, although he didn't mean it. The other heroes were about to say something when they heard Invader's talking. All of them instinctively moved their backs to the wall.

"Wait here," J'onn told them. The Martian quickly shapeshifted into the large glossy like aliens before he went in. He convinced them that there were intruders over behind him before he phased his hands into them and caught them unawares. He pulled out letting the aliens fall to their deaths.

"Is it just me or does this guy creep you out?" Flash asked everyone only for them not to respond. Danny patted Barry with a 'there-there' gesture before following the team. Barry slumped his shoulders and followed in defeat. The rest of the trip was made in silence. The heroes looked around quietly, their senses on high alert as they walked through the eerily quiet enemy base. Everyone was secretly glad that J'onn was leading them or they would have certainly lost their way in the endless base full of indifferent arches and winding pathways.

"I sense they are somewhere beyond these walls," J'onn said as he pointed at the rather solid looking wall.

Diana tried her best to push but it wouldn't budge. "It's no use it won't budge," she informed the team.

"I can just faze all of us inside if you want," Danny offered as he held out his hand. Everyone grabbed on before he turned everyone intangible and led them in. Batman and Hawkgirl were hanging upside down, trapped by the yellow substance that had stuck Danny and Barry before. The team moved forward before Jonn realised something was wrong.

"Wait!" he exclaimed in warning, but it was too late. The two hanging hero's opened their eyes to show their red pupils. Danny moved back knowing exactly what they were. They were the Invaders and this was a trap. The same yellow gas that incapacitated John filled through the room. Danny tried putting a ghost shield around his friends but it didn't work. The gas seemed to have the ability to slip through ectoplasm but thankfully Danny didn't need to breath. When Barry fell to the ground coughing the teen turned towards the enemy Invaders with a glare that could burn holes.

"No one touches Barry," Danny shouted in rage as he ran into the enemy lines. The Invaders shot at him with their guns but Danny dodged and punched a few of them to the ground. He raged as he shot at them with his ectoblasts and through icicles which impaled them. Unfortunately the horde was getting too big and Danny was too busy fighting to realise they had thrown a bomb that exploded a sticky yellow substance. Danny tried to turn intangible but it latched onto him, sticking him to the ground. Before he knew it an Invader was standing above him, hand high as he held the butt of his gun facing Danny. With one swift move the halfa was unconscious.

* * *

Danny groaned loudly as he woke up. His head hurt heavily as he blinked the haze out of his eyes. Soon the situation became apparent. All the heroes were stuck to the same yellow substance he was in, except he was practically drenched in it while it only held their hands and feet down.

"You shouldn't have come for us," Superman said gravely as he looked at the Martian.

"Would you have done less for me?" J'onn asked.

Danny perked up when Flash made a groaning sound. "Flash! Are you ok?" Danny asked.

"Y-yeah other than my aching head mini-man," Barry groaned.

The conversation was cut short when a group of Invaders came from above. "Earth's mightiest heroes," the lead Invader said with a smug voice. Danny gasped as the lead Invader turned into Senator Carter.

"Carter," Superman whispered in shock.

"Unfortunately the real Carter never returned from Mars"

"And you used me to disarm the war heads. You had me make Earth defenceless!"

"Oh you were so eager to cooperate. Thanks to you Earth is helpless against us."

"This is not over!" Superman yelled.

"Wrong again," Carter, now an Invader, said. He moved out of the way as the ceiling opened revealing the darkened sky. All the Invaders bowed their heads and made way as a giant purple blob descended. Somehow Danny couldn't get that movie out of his head. Why was everything so similar anyway?

"J'onn J'onzz, it's been a long time," Imperium greeted with a rather normal voice. Jonn was bought forth and the Invaders electrocuted him with their weapons. Danny struggled against his bonds as he watched helplessly. He hated electrocution and he hated not being able to save somebody. It tore at his core obsession and he didn't know if it was J'onn or him in pain right now. J'onn's screams died down as his humanoid form turned into his Martian one.

"Much better. You have defied us for centuries," the Imperium said.

Jonn stood up and glared defiantly. "And I will never bow before your kind."

"Then I shall see to it myself what should have been finished long ago; the elimination of the last Martian"

The Imperium shot its tentacles into J'onn's body and dug its way through his skin. The Martian screamed out in pain as it dug itself in deeper and bought him closer and closer until Jon was inside the Imperium's body (A/N don't judge this was actually what happened. I'm not writing tentacle hentai or anything-_-'). The heroes watched on in shock as silhouettes of J'onn's writhing figure could be made out every time he was shocked.

"I will never bow to you!"

"Tell me little Martian, what are you hiding? Oh what is this? Do I sense fear?"

"Now!" J'onn shouted. Suddenly the heart like object in the middle of the room melted and Batman flung onto it.

"Batman!" Flash exclaimed in relief.

"I mentally shielded him so he could do this." J'onn said as the Imperium dropped him to the ground in shock.

Batman quickly attached a device into the system and the vein like structure running across the base turned blue.

"What have you done?" Invader Carter yelled furiously.

"Reversed the ion-charge," Batman replied easily.

Danny watched in wonder as a large blue light shot from the crystal and into the black sky. The thick black fog started parting and revealed a bright blue. The Invaders standing underneath the sun started shrinking into the recesses of the ship, trying to hide away from the light. J'onn grabbed the Imperium's tentacles which were still inside him and dragged him out into the sun.

"You live underground and shun the light. Why does it burn your pale putrid skin?"

Barry was thoroughly disgusted. The creature's screeching mixed with the boil like putrid skin burning and popping wasn't a pretty sight.

"Eww, that's one nasty sunburn," he remarked causing Danny to laugh despite himself.

"Ultraviolet rays, coming from deep space the Invaders have no resistance to our sun's radiation," Batman explained as he started cutting through Diana's bonds. Superman smiled as the sun came out clearly thinking about how that didn't apply to him despite being an alien. His energy replenished itself and he lasered through his bonds.

"Shot them!" the ex-senator ordered.

Danny and the other heroes had managed to get free admits J'onn's battle. Danny covered for the team with his ecto-shield while the other heroes flew up and broke holes into the ceiling. The aliens covered away from the light and soon the team found it easy to bring them down. Danny flew up with Diana and Hawkgirl as he barraged the ship with the Emporium in it. His ectoblasts combined with Hawkgirl's hammer hits soon bought the ship to the ground.

Danny watched with excitement as the ship crashed down onto the base. He only let out a sigh of relief when he saw the other heroes coming out of it. When he stood atop the building looking down on the destruction he had a part in he couldn't help but feel proud. Of course he was reaching his limit and his wound was getting worse. The wound had opened and ectoplasm was dripping down from his sides. He held it his hand on it and moved away from the team so they wouldn't see.

"I'm glad this is done," Barry said as he watched the remaining carnage with a smile.

The team could only nod their sentiments. They all took a moment to process everything that had happened when Danny collapsed to the ground. Barry turned around and ran in time to catch him. He felt something wet on his hand and noticed that it was Danny's blood.

"Danny, I thought you said it wasn't too bad," Barry said in worry.

"Must have been all the ass kicking," Danny laughed before he coughed out blood. He knew he shouldn't have pushed himself as he did but it was an _alien invasion_! He couldn't just sit on the side when _aliens were invading_.

"Do you have something you need to do? Can ghosts even get hurt?" Barry exclaimed in panic.

Batman pushed the Flash away as he let Phantom rest on the ground. "Move aside Flash. Phantom do you have any specific methods you use to heal yourself or would human medication work?"

Danny would have thought it was cool that Batman was actually talking to him if he weren't feeling dizzy and about ready to destabilise. He knew in situations like this that it was best if he healed himself in his ghost form. If he were to transform now he would most likely die of blood loss.

"I need to get to the portal," Danny rasped. "Quickly I've lost too much ectoplasm."

Barry picked up Danny in his arms and looked at the other worried heroes. "Look I know where the portal is and I'm the fastest on here. You guys take down the remaining invaders while I get him some help."

No one protested. Not that they would have had the time considering the Flash had left rather quickly. It was certain to all of them that the two heroes knew each other and obviously were close.

"Dammit I shouldn't have let a child fight," John growled.

"For all we know he could be older than us," Superman replied. "And I'm sure he made his own choice."

"We still have work to do," Batman reminded as he pointed at the rogue walker.

And so the heroes got to work.

-End-

I think some of you guys were having concerns about how Danny should be living elsewhere. I had planned a reason originally as to why Danny needed to build the portal and as to why he is still living with Jack. It's mostly because Danny needs a constant supply of ectoplasm and because he doesn't have the ability to open ghost portals yet he still has to live with Jack who owns a portal. Currently Vlad hates Danny so he can't really live with him and the only reason Dani hasn't destabilised is because she is hanging out with Wulf as will be mentioned later (it's not like I haven't thought through this). I'll try not to write anymore abuse scenes because honestly I don't enjoy torturing Danny too much. And Jack doesn't go out of his way to make Danny's life hell, he just does it when he wants to vent his frustration so don't think of him as the overbearing type either. He'll let Danny go out with his friends to keep a facade of normality or everyone would know he's hurting his kid. The fact of Danny's identity being revealed... you guys will just have to wait and see for that one. Hope you enjoyed this chapter ;)


	4. A New Home

Chapter 4:

Ok before I start I just want to say the amount of reviews and likes I'm getting are phenomenal. Thanks to everyone who favourite, followed or reviewed! You guys make my day. And I noticed that there's a major flaw in my work that a great reader just pointed out. Apparently this worlds Flash is Wally West and not Barry Allen. I am going to stick with Barry because it's a little too late to change it now. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chap!

-Start-

Despite himself Danny found it entirely too comforting being held like he was. If he had the strength he would have protested to be carried like a 'proper man' but right now it was the thought that counted. It felt nice to have someone else saving your ass every once in a while. It felt nice to have someone worry over you and treat you like they cared. It felt even better to know he was loved despite what he had done. When Danny looked at Barry he painfully reminded him of Jazz. Even the way their eye's narrowed when they worried over him was the same.

"Don't worry about it mini-man, I'll definitely get you some help."

Barry stopped at Danny house. Danny reluctantly pushed himself off of Barry and moved for the door. He struggled to stand for a second before he turned the knob and opened up the door.

"The portal's in the basement," he said shakily.

Barry nodded and grabbed Danny's arm and wrapped it around his shoulder. In a split second they had reached the basement. Danny moved towards the control panel and opened the gate. He looked at Barry and smiled.

"I would invite you inside but it's not a very nice place," he said, cracking a pained smile.

"Heck no, if I can survive going inside then I'm going with you," Barry said defiantly.

Danny felt relieved at the answer and nodded his head. The two of them walked into the ghost zone. The vast scenery of purples and unearthly greens swirled around catching the speedster off guard. Danny sighed in relief as he collapsed on the ectoplasmic ground and seeped in the ghost zones raw ectoplasm.

"I kind of expected monotonous greys and blacks or maybe even a fiery hell with the devil and such. This is rather unexpected," Flash mumbled before he turned to Danny in worry. "How are you healing up?"

"I feel much better. I was banned from entering the ghost zone after the convention so it's been a hard time healing," Danny admitted through rough breaths.

Barry frowned at the disconcerting news as he sat next to the teen. He decided he would ease him into answering questions for once.

"So why do you look so small in your ghost form? Is it because you didn't get enough ectoplasm?"

Danny laughed a little. "No, it's mostly because my ghost half never changes. I look like the day I died at 14."

Barry realised that with Danny any question was personal. It made him a little sad to hear that he had died at such a young age. Danny caught onto the look and decided to fix some misconceptions.

"You don't need to feel bad for me. As I've said before a ghost isn't really the soul of the dead. A ghost is a strong impression left by someone who dies. So you could say a ghost is actually someone's will. I'm not really dead anyway, I just say I am because it's an easier way to say I'm not really human anymore. What I am is really a human infused with ectoplasm that can die and then revive myself. Once my human form actually dies then I can let you mourn my death," Danny explained smiling a little. His expression then turned grim. "Look I can tell you're trying to ease in with the questions. My sister always used to do it so stop beating around the bush and just tell me."

"How did you get injured?" Barry finally asked. "I'm not taking no for an answer. I need to know Danny."

"Jack did it… it was my parents anniversary. He couldn't take the grief or he wouldn't have done it," Danny replied as he turned his head away in shame.

"Why do you keep defending him? He's clearly hurting you," Barry asked with barely hidden fury. "Tell me what exactly he did!"

Danny flinched. "He tested a new weapon on me. It was coated with ectoranium or it would have healed. I usually forget about things like injuries when I fight so I didn't realise just how bad it was until it was a little late."

Barry didn't trust his voice at the moment. He didn't trust that he could hold himself back from the filth that was Jack Fenton. He really didn't think he hated anyone as much as he hated Zoom but Jack was now on his to-kill-list. He didn't understand what drove the man to abuse his own child but he didn't care. No amount of excuses would make it alright to test weapons on your children and refuse them treatment.

"Um… Barry could you please say something… you're scaring me."

"What can I do to get you out of here?" he finally asked.

Danny was taken back by the question. Other than Sam and Tucker no one had really asked him if they could do something for him. Even Lancer knew something was going on but didn't ask. It was a little weird knowing he had an adult on his side let alone a hero.

"My two friends and I are building a portal," Danny admitted. "We don't really have much in the way of scientific knowledge or resources. I've figured out how the portal actually works but making it smaller is going to be a problem and I won't have the equipment or the time to build one somewhere else. Usually it would take years to build one. That's why something of a smaller size is the only way to go."

Barry nodded in understanding. Danny needed something he could carry around or maybe store at his new home. He could understand why it seemed like such an impossible task for a child but he was an adult. He had experience in the scientific field and he knew he could help him. He looked at Danny and then back at his wound. It seemed mostly closed by now.

"That was quick. You should just come here more often," Barry remarked as he saw the closed wound.

"I usually would but I have a lot of enemies in here. The only reason I'm lying around like this is because you're here," Danny admitted sheepishly.

"Well then you should call me more often," Barry said as he helped up the teen. "Now let's get back. We need to stitch up the wound before it's too late."

Danny nodded and followed behind Barry as they walked through the portal. Danny found himself in the familiar lab room in his basement. He wondered where his father was and he was answered when he heard the tv running upstairs. He couldn't help but move closer to Barry when he thought of having to face his father. He had clearly disobeyed him when he had gone to fight those aliens.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked catching how Danny's hands were shaking.

"I-I'm fine," Danny lied as he transformed back into his human half. The pain intensified as his human body protested the wound even more than his resilient ghost half. He hissed in pain as he sat down on the metal dissection table where many ghosts had met their untimely end. "The first-aid kit is over at the corner."

Barry went over to get the equipment when he turned around and was met with a shirtless Danny. He froze in his spot for a second before taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. The speedster usually thought himself the cool, funny guy but right now he could be Batman for all anyone cared. It was not beyond him to murder Jack Fenton. Scars of all kind littered Danny's body, some he assumed from having to fight ghosts, but some definitely from a weapon. He didn't think ghosts used weapons and that only left Jack.

With trembling hands he stitched up the boy's wounds. He didn't speak; he didn't even try to think because if he did he wasn't sure he could hold himself back. Danny noticed the tense silence but didn't make a move to say a word. He knew Barry was mad but at least the fact that he was still in his Flash costume made him seem a little less threatening.

"Thanks," Danny said in a soft whisper.

Barry knew it was time for him to leave but he didn't like the idea of leaving Danny by himself.

"You know if you need me-"

"-You'll be there in a flash," Danny replied with amusement. "I know."

"Both you and Iris," Barry muttered shaking his head. With one last worried look the Flash sped out of the house leaving Danny behind to face the wrath of his father

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the invasion. The world had been rebuilding itself while Danny was mostly trying to stay out of his father's way. Jack was acting like his usual self; one minute like a caring father and the next like he hated Danny. It confused the halfa and put him on edge as he wondered when the man would snap and when he would act like everything was fine… that he wasn't half ghost and they were a normal family. Fortunately for the halfa school still seemed to be running so he escaped his home by hanging out with Tucker and Sam who still found it awesome that he fought alongside their heroes.

"Man, can you tell me that story again?" Tucker asked.

"I've only told it to you about six times already Tucker," Danny groaned. "Here's the short version. We fought an alien invasion and we won."

"But you saw Hawkgirl," Tucker whined. "I'm sure she's hotter than the new one… what's her name again?"

"Wonder Woman, or at least that's what the press is calling her. I'd like to just think of her as Diana," Danny answered, "and Tucker they're way too old for you."

"Love is not restricted by age," Tucker exclaimed passionately.

"But it is by maturity," Sam cut in harshly. Danny laughed at Tucker's mock hurt expression. Sam always knew when to say something that hit hard but not enough to hurt. It was one of the reasons he loved her… as a friend of course. She turned her violet eyes to her friend. "So Danny, has the Flash made any progress with the PGP (portable ghost portal)?"

Danny sighed. "I'm not really meant to give away his information but he's only a forensic scientist. Bio-mechanics really isn't his field but he said he had some friends down at STAR labs that could help if he asked."

"You should just give the green to the rest of the heroes," Tucker said.

"I-I just don't want them knowing okay. It's bad enough when I'm worried the Flash is going to come in and kill dad. I don't need to know what someone like Superman, Hawkgirl, or Green Lantern will do if they find out."

Of course that wasn't the only reason Danny didn't tell. He just didn't like the idea of everyone pitying him or figuring out he was actually just a teenager. Sure he was nearly a legal adult but they still saw him as a kid and if they knew he was alive then they'd probably never call him in for help. These past few weeks were barely enjoyable because he could sneak out to help the others. Just as that was said Flash's com device started beeping.

"Duty calls and thank Clockwork it's during lunch," Danny said.

"Hey can you get Hawkgirl to sign this," Tucker asked as he gave Danny his Hawkgirl shirt. Danny saw the rather compromising pose she was drawn in and paled.

"Tucker, are you trying to get the both of us killed?" Danny said as he took the shirt and chucked it in the bin. The idea of being killed via a spiked mace was not on his agenda when being electrocuted to death was bad enough.

"Hey!" Tucker protested as Danny looked around before scorching the image his ectoblast.

"I did it for your own safety," Danny said as he patted Tucker's shoulder.

Before the technophile could complain a red streak shot by and Danny knew he was needed. Usually Barry came by before any hero needed help from the both of them. Danny didn't mind the sentiment so he said nothing even if it was a little irritating to know he was being babied.

"Sorry guys," Danny apologised as he ran to the Flash.

"Have you got your transmitter on you?" Flash asked as he held out his own.

Danny transformed into Phantom and nodded. "Sure do," he replied as the activated it. Barry picked Danny up as he rushed to the meeting point. Apparently Batman had something he wanted to show the league and had them needing to meet up in a place. Thankfully for Danny he had Barry there to keep him on time. The team found themselves near a ship with most of the heroes standing by.

"What'd we miss?" Flash asked.

"The Watchtower," Superman said like it explained everything.

"Oh… I don't get it"

Batman decided to take over. "Our centre of operations in space. Considering the recent attacks it would be nice for us to have something to alert us of external threats the next time it happens."

"W-wait you're saying it's in space!" Danny exclaimed in excitement.

"Yes," Bruce replied with an amused expression at the teen's wonder.

Danny couldn't hold it anymore… and fainted. Barry caught him and laughed. "I think we fried his brains."

Green Lantern didn't like this. "Flash, are you sure you should be bringing the kid along? He was hurt from the Invasion."

"Correction he was hurt prior the invasion and the wound just got worse…" Barry said, to which John just gave him a pointed look. "Look GL this is like the last good thing he has. Don't take it from him," Barry pleaded.

John raised a brow in concern but otherwise didn't ask. The heroes soon found themselves in the Watchtower when Danny finally woke up. Suffice to say it took a lot of effort not to faint again when he realised he was in space.

"Beautiful, amazing, freaking awesome… words can't even describe this!" Danny exclaimed in awe.

Superman remembered back to the first time he had flown into space and wished he could get that excitement back again. Still it was nice to see that the teen was enjoying himself, especially after the life-threatening injury.

"Do your stock holders know about this Bruce?" Superman asked.

"A line item hidden in the R&D budget. This watchtower will act as an early warning system from another invasion from space," Batman answered.

"Bruce… as in Bruce Wayne. You know that explains a lot," Danny mumbled.

"And it has a fully stocked kitchen," Barry said as he walked in with Wonder Woman. "Iced Mocha?" he asked Danny. The teen took it with pleasure.

"They don't have these in Thymiscara," Diana said as she sipped the cold beverage.

"Stick around Princess and I'll show you the ropes," Danny said a little suggestively. He had to mentally slap his immature side for acting like Tucker. He blamed the hormones.

GL and Hawkgirl flew down and joined them. "It's an impressive installation but what's it got to do with us?" John asked.

"I once thought I could save the world by myself but I was wrong. Working together we saved the planet," Superman said as he pointed at Earth from across the window. "And I believe if we stay together as a team we could be a force that could truly work for the ideals of peace and justice."

"What like a bunch of super friends?" Barry joked to which Danny snickered.

"I was thinking more like a Justice League," Superman added.

"You realise just how corny that sounds but maybe the big guy has a point. With all of us behind him it just might work," Flash said as he grabbed Superman's hand.

"Me too," John agreed as he and Hawkgirl joined in.

"My mother may not approve but I find man's world to be intriguing. You can count me in," she said as she also put her hands in. The team turned to the Dark Knight and Phantom.

"What about you?" GL asked.

"I'm not really a people person but when you need me, and you will, call me."

"Understood," John replied before he turned to Danny. "You may just be a kid but you are a hero," John said as he held out his hand.

Danny looked unsure of what to say. He couldn't commit to something like this. This meant being in a team and that meant putting the team on priority. He still had school and if his father found out he wouldn't put it past the man to lock him up forever. Despite this Danny could not decline. He wanted… no he needed this but he couldn't tell them. He also didn't want to keep secrets like this with them.

"I'll join your merry gang of supers but I can't say for certain that you can count on me. My hands are usually tied when it comes to going out," Danny replied as he put his hands in with the rest of the team. A guilty smile crossed his face as he remembered the secret identity he was keeping from the team.

"Understood, then we're all agreed," Superman said.

"Wait J'onn's not here," Diana pointed out as she scanned the room. The rest of the newly appointed team members couldn't believe they had forgotten the man that had helped save Earth. Superman looked around and noticed that J'onn was standing on a podium, his gaze fixed gravely on his planet in the distance. Superman flew up in worry as they stood by the contemplating Martian.

"J'onn, are you alright?" Clark asked in worry.

"My family and loved ones are long gone. I am the last of my kind," he said solemnly.

"I know the feeling," Superman replied as he placed a comforting hand on his new ally.

"Now Mars is dead and I am alone in the universe…"

"J'onn we can never replace the family we've lost, but we'd be honoured if you could be able to call Earth your home," Clark offered as he held out his hand. J'onn smiled as he took the hand and flew down to the rest of the team.

Danny watched as the heroes congregated together while Flash zoomed next to him. He looked at Barry and gave a weary smile to which the older hero replied with a worried look. He knew what Barry was thinking and he knew that they were going to have a talk about it.

"I know what you're going to say Barry but I can't tell them," Danny mumbled.

"You heard what John said. You might still be a kid but you're a part of this team. I'm sure if you just be honest and tell them your problem someone in this group can help fix it. Heck if we can afford a base up in space then we can afford to hire a scientist to create the PGP."

Danny understood where Barry was coming from but he was still apprehensive. He remembered the day he told his parents. They still loved him but he could remember the tests that followed and their disappointed looks when they couldn't change him back to normal. He still remembered the fights they had about him using his ghostly abilities. He still remembered how he drove his own mother to her death. Somehow he was afraid that the same thing would happen again and that this time he would be taking the heroes down with him.

But mostly he was worried they would never look at him the same way again. He was meant to be the witty, sarcastic, foolhardy teenager that could kick ass. He was supposed to be the person who protected others and put them above himself. He couldn't find it in himself to admit that he had failed as a hero, as a child, and as a friend to so many people. Most of all he couldn't tell them about Dan.

Danny looked up at Barry with pleading green eyes. "Please don't tell them. I'll figure out how to create the ghost portal… I just need time. Maybe if I could even get through to my dad," Danny pleaded.

Barry was instantly irritated by that man. "I'll stay quiet for now but the moment he injures you again I can't promise anything." Flash was only happy when Danny reluctantly nodded his approval of the conditions. He put an arm around the floating boy and bought him a little closer. "Why don't I show you the kitchen then Mini-man?"

"Does it have pizza?" Danny asked his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"14 flavours of it," Barry replied with a large grin.

"Then what are we waiting for! Race you!"

He chuckled at the thought of being challenged to a race. He would wear a tutu and dye his hair green if he lost this one.

-End-


	5. A New Underwater World

Chapter5: A New Underwater World!

-Start-

Danny was great at pestering people. It was a skill taught to him by an unlikely candidate known as the Box Ghost. Despite the ghost portal being closed Boxy seemed immune to its affects. He would drop by every once in a while to 'terrorise' a few citizens. Of course now most people had a Fenton Thermos in their possession so it became sort of like a competition to see who could catch the irritating ghost first. What the unsuspecting citizens of Amity didn't know was that this was a ploy created on the part of one Danny Fenton so he wouldn't have to bother with the pesky ghost himself. Because of this the teen had found himself pester free and most of the town found an amusing pass time. The only thing left to do was pray every night that this box ghost catching fad would never end.

Currently Danny had just finished making Jack some food. Thankfully his father had started on another one of his projects so the likelihood of the man coming out to take his frustration on him was low. This meant that Danny usually took to sneaking of to the League's ship. He was told only to use it for travel between Earth and the Watchtower but he just couldn't help himself. The idea of taking a joy ride in space was too good to pass. Stuff being an astronaut when you could just be a Leaguer, right?

The endless expanse of stars and the far away image of Earth was beautiful. Danny knew if it was up to him then he would pause time forever. It really put things into perspective. Here he was thousands of miles away from his problems. Here there was no school, no ghosts, no problems… just him and the… com link?

"Phantom, you are not permitted to use the ship for non-travel purposes. Come immediately to the Watchtower."

Danny sighed as he quickly added a 'roger' into the microphone and did as Batman told him. He was always a little apprehensive of the Dark Knight. There was something about his indifferent tone that reminded him of his dad. That didn't mean he thought Bruce was out to punch his lights out but it still put him on defence. Despite this he always made an effort to talk to him. Batman was like a walking encyclopaedia of useful information (if you got him to actually talk). Danny entered the Watchtower with a little pout.

"You're no fun," he whined as he hovered around the Dark Knight.

"If you've got nothing better to do help with the maintenance," Bruce said as he handed Danny a manual.

Danny threw the manual away before he got to work causing Bruce to twitch his eyes in irritation. He tried to keep an impartial relationship with Phantom but the kid seemed to have the uncanny ability to get under his skin. His 'bat-glare' didn't work and no amount of threatening seemed to help either. About the only reason he tolerated Phantom was that despite the childish attitude sometimes the ghost could be serious and actually ask some pretty good questions.

"So… I've been wondering- I mean this is purely for the sake of a question that popped in my mind the other day; how exactly would you get a large semi-conductor and make it let's say… 500% smaller? Oh and it'll probably have to conduct both electricity and ectoplasm," Danny added as he listed his questions.

Bruce sighed as he rubbed his temples. Someone really needed to teach the ghost how to lie. "This is for a hypothetical situation?" he reiterated.

"Yes! It's a 100% hypothetical," Danny replied a little hastily.

"To answer your _hypothetical_ question," Bruce said again because he really didn't believe it was hypothetical, "You would need to change the make-up of the silicon. Of course it's the best form of conductor you can find but basic doping isn't enough for the more unstable sources of energy… what is the makeup of ectoplasm?"

"It's a rather unstable form of energy," Danny replied sighing a little. "In its purest form it's highly conductive and mixes well with electricity… I should know," Danny said cringing at the memory of his death. He shook the thought away and decided to get back on topic. "So let's just say we add impurities to the silicon base and there are more electrons to conduct the ectoplasm, would you say that if it has an acidic quality of 2 that a metal should be added?"

Bruce shook his head. "Depends on the metal. It'll have to be highly resistant to corrosion _hypothetically_."

Danny laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. Who did he think he was kidding when he was asking _the detective_ with his horrible ability to lie? He was just grateful that Bruce never really asked him too many questions or seemed to care. He had a sneaking suspicion that the Dark Knight already knew about his real identity. His suspicions were confirmed when Bruce gave him a knowing look.

"I hope the portal works out"

Danny stared as the Dark Knight left the control room. Of course he knew. The halfa sighed as he started fixing some of the oddities in the Watchtower's systems. Somehow he thought that with a little help he could get the portable ghost portal working in a few months. But what then… would he just leave his dad all alone? He couldn't just leave after all the damage he had caused. Danny slammed the table before taking deep breaths.

"There's nothing a little mindless tv can't fix," he told himself before going to the Watchtower's kitchen.

He took a large serving of pizza for himself before turning on the TV. He was starting to love this place. Jack hardly let him eat anything at home so he went by starving most days until the Watchtower happened. It was mostly Danny and Barry raiding the kitchen but the duty fell on Barry to stock it. Danny was exempt because everyone thought he didn't have a human identity.

"And following the explosion members of the Justice League rushed Aqua-man to Metropolis medical centre. There are no reports of his condition but his injuries are reported to be critical… possibly fatal."

Danny spluttered out the juice he was drinking. Did they just say Aquaman and Atlantis? Atlantis was real?! Where was he when interesting things happened? First he missed out on going to outer space because he had his exams and he didn't even get to see the Green Lantern corps he heard so much about. Now he was missing out on meeting a King that ruled an underwater city!

"Oh heck no! You aren't getting rid of Danny Phantom that easily!" Danny growled before packing his pizza. His com link turned on when he got a call from Bruce.

"Phantom get down to the ship, I'm waiting."

"Sure thing boss," Danny replied before rushing to the hanger. He got into the ship and both heroes quickly rushed down to Earth. "So are we going to kick Atlantean butt or something? Wait do mermaids even poop? How on earth did a merman walk on land anyway?"

Bruce decided to take some calm breaths so he wouldn't have the urge to chuck the teen out of the ship and into space. "Atlanteans are not mermen. They have similar human physiology except their bone density is much larger and so are their lungs. Most likely the team doesn't know how to treat him so we're setting up the equipment."

Just as Batman said, Danny was tasked with putting together the on-the-spot tank they had created after bartering with a doctor the importance of their task. Danny grumbled as he measured out the ingredients for the water while Batman was of getting to run around doing who knows what. Suddenly Danny was a little jealous of Barry who was probably on a romantic date with Iris instead of here measuring chemicals. Just as he was finishing up Superman sped through the door, followed by a doctor carting in Aquaman.

The Man of Steel quickly picked up the Atlantean before placing him in the tank and connecting him with the heart monitors. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief as his vitals started stabilising.

"He's stabilising," the man said easing the heroes' fears.

"Maintain sialic levels at 3.5%," Batman said as he handed the notes to the doctor.

"How could you have possibly have guessed that?" the doctor asked in wonderment.

"He's a fish out of water, salt water."

Danny examined the rather buff man and frowned. It seemed all the people he knew had large muscles. He didn't know if maybe it was the muscles (and the lack of his) or the fact that he didn't have a fish tail that rubbed Danny the wrong way. "He doesn't have fins. Are you sure other Atlanteans don't have tails?"

"I'm certain they don't," Superman replied with a raised brow.

He heard Danny mutter something about ruining child hood dreams and such before the boy floated through and out the door. Clark never thought he could get used to that to which his human friend picked up rather quickly.

"You'll get used to him eventually," Bruce informed his friend and the gaping doctor.

Danny had called most of the Leaguers in once he went out the door. He was finding all of this mostly anticlimactic. When he imagined a mission involving Atlantis he had in mind hot mermaid girls and a mermaid queen that needed rescuing. Instead he had to set up a tank for a wounded burly king with a bad attitude. Was he seriously using whatever little precious free-time he had for this?

"He's coming around," Superman said with a small relieved smile.

John walked from the window to the tank with his arms crossed. He was not at all happy with how this so called King dealt with diplomacy. He had asked for the most absurd demands from the World Assembly and expected them to just bend over to his will.

"Good then we can get some answers," he grunted before knocking on the glass to wake up the King. "What did you do with the plutonium?"

Aquaman jumped out of the tank. "Plutonium?"

"From the submarine that you stole it from," John said angrily.

"My orders were to leave that vessel alone," Aquaman replied in an uncaring tone.

"You expect me to believe that?" GL asked angrily.

"Believe what you want. Someone tried to kill me and I want to know who," the Atlantean responded as he took of the monitors attached to his chest.

"Wait, we can help but you have to trust us," Batman said as he stopped the King.

Once the Dark Knight had convinced the Atlantean King of what needed to be done, he then went on to assign roles. Danny however was on a timer and that meant not being able to help the Atlantean unless he wanted his own hide skinned for it.

"Superman, I need to go. Tell Batsy that I won't be able to make it," Danny apologised. He felt a little bad for leaving them when the action was about to start but he had promised Sam and Tucker that they would meet at Sam's house for the Portal Project.

"Is it important?" Clark asked.

Danny couldn't help but frown a little before he remembered to put on a big smile. He reminded himself again that with the League any troubles at home would be left there. He could whine all he wanted about how unfair life was in his room when he was alone.

"Yeah but if everything goes well it won't have to be a problem anymore," Danny replied as he flew out the building.

He took to his top speed, guessing that he would probably make it back home in about 10 minutes if he really tried. Houses all around sparkled their bright lights which seemed to haze all into one blurry mess at the speed he was going. So Danny looked up at the night sky, the same night sky that never changed no matter how fast he was or where he was going. Once he reached Sam's large house he simply took to flying through her window.

"Hey guys, you won't believe who I was helping," Danny said as he scared them yet again.

"You mean the Atlantean King right," Sam asked with a knowing smirk.

Danny pouted. "You always take the fun out of it for Tucker. So have you guys come with any other ideas on how exactly to conduct the ectoplasm?"

Danny's smile didn't falter when his friends deflated. "I've tried every method of making ectoplasm less volatile but AXON labs can only stand my presence for so long. Plus I've used all my savings bribing them to use their equipment," Sam replied dejectedly.

"None of the metals I've looked at can accommodate ectoplasm unless it's large and bulky and by then we'll just be making a copy of the portal you have," Tucker added with a frown.

Danny put down his notes on the table before catching his friends of guard with a confident smile. "Well fear not, ye who have little faith," Danny said as he spread out the plan. "So the problem we've all been facing is that ectoplasm and electricity requires a certain amount of electrons to allow the energies to merge and pass through the wires. Of course we didn't have the technology or the means to alter the silicon compound but then Vlad gave me an idea. I was looking at the earlier schematics for the ghost portal and the reason it was so volatile wasn't because the conductors couldn't process the ectoplasm but rather the shape of the portal didn't work well with the energy output.

"You've lost me…" Sam grumbled.

Danny pointed at the circular shape of the portal. "It's because the rip in space can be accommodated by the circular shape of the portal but the ectoplasm can't. It needs somewhere to release excess energy without collapsing in on itself. Usually that can be fixed with the portal have angular points where the ectoplasm can focus on but then the rip in space will collapse instead."

Tucker nodded in understanding as he looked at the old portals plan. "We've figured out the problem but do we have the solution? It seems like if we do one thing the other will go wrong."

Danny sighed but a determined smile lightened his face in an instant. "Not really but it's a step forward in the right direction for now. At least we don't have to worry about doping problems with the silicon conductor. We just have to follow the old portal's plans while finding a method to direct the volatile energy."

"You could ask Vlad for help," Sam pointed out before Danny started laughing. His laughter stopped when he realised she wasn't joking.

"You are not joking are you?" he asked unsurely. "Sam, come on that man wants me destroyed! All the other ghosts leave me alone now, but he still wants to kill me! Remember the time he caught me and beat me to an inch of my after-life?!"

"I'm not saying he's the sanest or most trustworthy individual but he's done this before and you're certainly not going to Jack with your questions," Sam argued.

"She's got a point dude although getting him to help seems pretty close to impossible," Tucker agreed.

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his thick black hair. He really needed to figure this out quickly until then he had more chance of going to Batman with his problems then he had for his father and Vlad combined. In fact Danny was about to give up his pride and his father's clean record just so he could finish this project. It was driving him more insane than anything had in his life before. Thankfully he didn't have to answer that question because his com-link beeped the distress signal.

"Already," Danny groaned. "I leave for a couple of hours and they all decide to get into danger."

Danny's phone rung and he picked it up gingerly. No doubt it was Barry going to tell him to go in his place so that he dally around with Iris. Oh god the halfa was jealous.

"Danny-"

"-Can you go help them out for me," Danny finished for Barry. "Yes, I know. I get it you have your anniversary with Iris. Thankfully for you I'm meant to be at Sam's so my dad won't be on my back for this."

"Thanks Danny. I'm about to give her a present I just bought this morning. Don't tell her I completely forgot about this," Barry whispered into the phone.

Danny huffed in irritation. "The things I would do to you if I didn't love you so much," Danny grumbled before he cut the phone. He gingerly turned to his best friends who nodded their understanding.

"Don't worry dude. They're probably going to Atlantis and we wouldn't want you to miss out on that," Tucker said, "Besides we're all up and ready to figure out an alternative solution for the project."

"Stay safe Danny," Sam said with a small smile.

Danny transformed into Phantom and gave them a small smile. "I will," he replied before flying out of the large house. He took out his transmitter and looked at the coordinates before frowning. By now they would already be at Atlantis. Not wasting any time he flew for the sea. It wasn't long before he was above the exact coordinates the Justice League were at. Considering he had received a distress beacon he could only imagine they somehow needed extra assistance or that they somehow got captured.

"Here's the moment," Danny told himself a little excitedly. He was finally going to see the fabled Atlantis! It was at moments like these that he really loved having his abilities. He turned invisible before diving into the ocean. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to having salty water touch it but Danny's ectoplasmic driven body didn't really have qualms with water pressure or the temperature. This form also didn't require any oxygen.

Having gotten used to the new environment Danny scanned the waterscape and Atlantis stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a large metropolis like city that was surrounded by a dome like structure to keep the water out. That explained why they had legs instead of flippers. Danny was still a little sour about that. He was about to fly straight for it to save his friends but the sudden shaking of rock caught his attention. He turned around surprised to see a man chained to the rock, about to fall into the lava. He quickly flew towards the man and realised that this was Aquaman who looked about ready to chop his own hand of.

"Aquaman!" Danny exclaimed as he grabbed the man's hand. He was relieved that he'd stopped the king from doing anything too drastic when he heard wailing and noticed the baby hung to cloth by a dagger. Anger burnt through him as he wondered who could have put such a small infant to their death. The King however was greatly relieved at the sight of the Leaguer.

"Take my son to safety first," he growled as he fought against the chains.

"How about I just take the both of you?" Danny replied as he turned Aquaman intangible before taking the child in his other hand. He flew both of the Atlanteans away from the crashing cliff and breathed a sigh of relief that he had gotten here when he did. Aquaman took the baby out of Danny's arms with a grateful smile.

"I am forever grateful to you for saving my son," he said with great relief.

Danny watched the man carry his child protectively in his arm and felt a pang of jealousy and respect. Jealousy because for a second he wished that was his father and respect because the father was ready to cut his hand of for his son. He quickly bit down those feelings when the worry he had for the Leaguers returned.

"Where are the others?" Danny asked, worry evident in his features. If these people were ready to kill a child then they were definitely ready to kill threats to their coup.

"Follow me," Aquaman ordered

Danny did as he was asked as he followed the King. Soon they had entered Atlantis and Danny felt a little ripped of that he did not have the time to awe in wonder of the foreign land he was able to visit. His muscles seemed to lighten a load when he saw that the heroes were safe.

Aquaman felt much the same when he saw his wife. He embraced her whole heartedly when she ran into him. Danny watched the interaction longingly.

"My love you are safe!"

"And so is our son," he said handing him over to his wife.

"You guys had me worried. I thought you were about to die," Danny said holding his heart, "and we all know there's only room for one dead person in this team."

"Where's Barry?" John asked smiling a little at the youngest Leaguer.

"Hot date," Danny replied before Batman's call interrupted the moment.

"Superman a situation has developed up at the North Pole. Thermal readings show that temperatures are increasing rapidly."

"If that continues then the ecological effects could be catastrophic," J'onn commented.

"We should go check it out," Danny said immediately. If the polar caps were to melt Earth's land would be flooded and thousands of lives would be lost. Saving the North Pole certainly seemed more important than helping usurp a king.

"What about the crisis here?" Diana asked raising the question.

"It may have a connection," Aquaman admitted reluctantly. He explained to the Leaguers about the doomsday thermal reactor created to melt the ice caps and sink the world. It was meant as a last line solution but Aquaman was beginning to regret his decision. "I had it built as a weapon of last resort in the case to protect Atlantis should the surface world attack. But I never armed it."

"Then Orm must have using the plutonium from the sub," John explained.

"If the polar cap melts, Earth will sink beneath its waves. We have to stop Orm," Superman said with finality.

"And he will! I will see to it personally."

With that said the King stalked out of the room like the team wasn't even there. Danny huffed a little at all the theatrics. He wondered why people thought it was a good idea to create doomsday devices in the first place. Didn't Atlantis have more than enough sea anyway?

"I don't know about you guys but I'm definitely following," Danny said as he flew out.

"We will come to," Diana said for the rest of the team.

They flew after Aquaman who had sped through the water much quicker than they ever could. Soon the League was over the North Pole.

"Why do you follow?" Aquaman asked.

"Duh, cause we don't want people to die," Danny replied rolling his eyes. "Do you think I could deal with all the new ghosts that would pop up afterwards?"

"Just don't get in my way," Aquaman grunted before his an explosion sent him and Danny flying back.

The halfa dragged his hand against the ice, trying to regain his balance as the ice underneath him cracked. Three or four Atlantean ships emerged from the ice, breaking the surface and causing the Atlantean King to back away defensively. The enemy commander drew his sword and called for his men to attack. The jet like ships carrying the Atlanteans charged towards the heroes as they prepared to fight. Danny found himself smiling at the prospect of a good fight.

"Misplaced aggression here I come," he hollered as he cracked his knuckles.

Danny possessed an Atlantean, getting a feel for the foreign physiology he was not used to. He took possession of their lightening rod before shooting the others with it. They looked at him with confusion and anger.

"What are you doing Kamur?" an Atlantean yelled at him.

Danny's, or should he say Kamur's, now bright green eyes twinkled with mirth. He winked at the Atlantean before he drove his jet right into the other. Before the explosion could hit him he dispossessed the man and flew up to fight the rest of them. His ectoblasts, as he had feared, seemed to be doing little damage to the tech so instead he took to freezing them in place while John rammed into them with his ring barrage.

"The glaciers are starting to melt," Batman warned the team from his com-link.

"I know but we already have our hands full here!" Superman replied as he went in for the main ship. He dodged a few energy blasts before reaching the guns and destroying them. Danny flew quickly to Superman before a blast could hit him and put up an ecto-shield.

"I've got your back," he said a little excitedly. He never imagined he'd ever say that to Superman in person. Before he could fangirl anymore the next wave of Atlanteans distracted him. This time Aquaman dove into the sea, grabbed a whale and used it to ram into the rest of the Atlantean force.

"I saw it but I don't believe it," John commented.

"You and me both GL," Danny replied gawking a little. "I take it back, he's still pretty cool for a sea-guy who doesn't even have a tail."

"John, Phantom, stay with him," Superman ordered.

Danny saluted, "Sure thing boss!" before following after Green Lantern and Aquaman. He was really beginning to worry at the rate the ice-caps were melting. And Sam thought that it would at least take a decade or so before people recognised global warming. So much for that optimistic thought!

"There's not much time. If we don't shut it down now then the whole world is doomed," Batman said as he caught up to the two heroes.

"I suppose now's a bad time to say I told you so," John remarked.

"Yes, yes it is," Danny replied. "If it makes any difference I can help buy some time by cooling this place down a little."

"That would be appreciated Phantom," Batman replied as he parked his plane and walked out.

Danny prepared himself for the massive energy loss he was going to face. He pushed his hands out and felt for his core before releasing the cold energy within him. Slowly the glacier stopped melting and he felt a little better knowing it wasn't going to collapse in on Batman or GL.

"I can only hold out for so long. Go!"

Batman and John went into the glacier before they ran to the broken machine. No doubt it had been broken on purpose so the process couldn't be terminated. Bruce glanced at the damage and frowned.

"No good, I have to manually shut it down from the inside," he commented.

"Inside?" John asked in shock.

"You're ring, can it protect me?" Batman asked quickly.

"We'll see," GL replied as he held out his ring and covered Batman with his energy. John was having enough trouble keeping his concentration up but he nearly gave way when Orm turned his attention from his brother to him. He quickly put a shield over himself and was instantly thankful that both Phantom and Aquaman had his back. While Aquaman was battling Orm, Batman had finally managed to shut down the generator. He swung himself out the machine was helped down by the green energy keeping him safe.

"You did it," John said with relief.

"No, we did it," Batman corrected his friend.

"The crisis is averted," Aquaman added as he walked into the room.

* * *

"Get out of my sight," Aquaman growled at the men who had betrayed him before he let out a tired sigh. He had just lost his best soldiers, and his brother. What he could have lost was much worse but he was left mentally drained from the ordeal. "I can only blame myself. My fear of the surface dwellers blinded me to those I should have feared most, and it cost me dearly," he said, thinking back to his brother Orm.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, maybe we've all misjudged," John said finally coming around.

"Perhaps… all I want, all I've ever wanted is peace and security for all of Atlantis," he said solemnly.

"After what happened it won't be easy," Superman observed.

"I know but some sacrifices are worth it," Aquaman said looking at his wife and child.

Danny watched on with a small smile. Despite being a buff and rough man, Aquaman had his heart in the right place. The odd and subtle gestures he seemed to be showing his wife and son made his stomach turn a little bit in strange disgust and appreciation. He'd remembered a time long ago when his mom and dad used to tuck him in bed before checking his room for evil ghosts. It seemed a lifetime ago but he remembered having the same feeling then that he was now. It made him uncomfortable. Would this man turn on his child too?

The team soon left Atlantis. Danny stuck to travelling with Bruce considering he was low on ectoplasmic reserves and didn't have the energy to continue flying. Of course by now he was unsure as to how much the Dark Knight actually knew about his condition. He could only hope it was as little as possible. Not knowing was actually killing him a little inside.

"So…" Danny began, not knowing how to finish. "I was wondering…"

"Yes, I know," Batman said, cutting the teen from his extended pauses. Somehow his usual irritation was replaced with amusement and a hint of worry.

"What exactly though?" Danny asked, trying to figure to what extent Bruce knew about him.

"Enough," Bruce replied, smirking a little when the boy squirmed at being given such a vague answer. He decided that he would stop torturing Phantom and finally give it to him. "You're real name is Danny Fenton. Your mother died in a car accident, you sister then left for MIT and you live alone with your father Jack Fenton."

Danny flinched at having his life laid out bare before him. He was starting to feel guilty for not just coming clean to the League and telling them the truth. They never hid their identities from him so it just felt wrong that he didn't do the same. Bruce decided to continue.

"I don't know how exactly you became what you are now but I know enough to make an educated guess that it has to do with the portal in your basement. It is also possible that by trying to recreate the portal into something smaller that you intend to move around with it or you find it necessary to continue existing."

"You're not wrong," Danny said with a small frown. "I was infused with ectoplasm three years ago when I stepped into the ghost portal and had it turned on while I was still inside. I also need the portal because my ghostly side will destabilise without a constant supply of pure ectoplasm."

Bruce guided the jet higher while contemplating if he should continue. He knew that those weren't the facts that really bothered Phantom. He knew Phantom was worried if everyone found out about his home life. Bruce could sympathise considering he mostly kept his parents' murder to himself until it became public information. He didn't want to imagine what it would be like to live with a father who may or may not have blamed him for his wife's death.

"Give me the plan you have for the portal and I can help. Unlike you and your two friends the resources I have are vast," Bruce offered.

Danny glanced up to Bruce with a hopeful regard. "Y-you're really offering to do all that?" he asked a little unsure of how to thank the billionaire.

"Yes"

Danny teared up a little before he blinked back the water. A small smile crossed his face as he felt a large burden life of his shoulders. Somehow the project stopped looking like a distant dream and more like a tangible goal. He was just grateful that he had such great heroes.

-End-

 _ **That was a fun chapter to write. I'm surprised no one's really asked any questions or anything. I kept Barry out of this chap to have Danny interact with other Leaguers a little more. As you can see he's fan-boying over Superman and that's mostly because of psychological reasons. He used to attribute Superman to his father's good characteristics and once Jack turned on him I think any child would turn someone like Superman into an idol to convince themselves there is good in this world (or they could do the opposite and stop believing at all but I think Danny's more of a resilient character). Danny sees Superman as a kind of glorified figure in that sense and because Batman's the opposite of Superman he associates the Dark Knight with the worse qualities. It's illogical behaviour but that's my reasoning for his behaviour anyway. That's why there was a lot of interaction between the two in this chapter. I needed to get some Bat Phantom bonding going on so Danny can get past his psychological blocks. Aquaman's fatherly qualities also got Danny thinking a little.**_

 _ **Ok… about the scientific stuff I wrote in this chap. Please don't judge if you're like an engineer or something. I have little scientific knowledge and for the sake of this story did a lot of research and considering portals haven't been created in real life I'm going of my imagination quite a bit. So if there are some scientific flaws just pm me and I'll be the better for it but it won't really change the story because the PGP is going to a major part of Danny's arc. I'll try not to simply follow the JL plot and add a little difference into things to divvy it up a little. I'm sure none of you wants to read Justice League scripts with Danny blotched into it and I sure as hell don't find that fun to write.**_

 _ **Anyway next chapter is Danny's own personal arc! A lot of his major ghostly villains will cameo and Jack's going to be mean.**_


	6. Ends and Beginnings

Chapter 6: Ends and Beginnings

 _ **I'm pretty excited for this chapter so you readers better tell me your thoughts on this. This is officially the start of Danny's very own personal arc.**_

 _ **Warning- graphic descriptions of physical and mental abuse up ahead. If you feel queasy just skip through it. Don't say that I didn't warn you. Also this chapter is dedicated to a book I read called 1984. If you've read it then you'll begin to see some parallels.**_

-Start-

Danny's desperate voice echoed through the lab. His arms flailed in desperation before he grabbed the equipment that had stabbed him through his chest. He struggled and gripped the metal as hard as he could but when Jack turned it his voice cracked and he found himself just gasping for air. The thick claw like device had plunged its claws further and further into his chest, cracking his ribs and tearing through flesh.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? Sneaking outside and fighting ghosts when you should be in your room," Jack said, a furious glint in his eyes.

"P-please s-stop! I'm a monster! I'm a monster!" he cried out through gritted teeth. He didn't care if that was or wasn't what Jack had asked him to say. He didn't even care that he was begging. The pain; he just wanted the pain to end.

"That's not what I want Danny," Jack said, his face softening a little. Danny couldn't understand- he didn't want to understand. "I want you to be cured. I was too harsh on you. I should have taken the ghost out a long time ago and made you better, made you sane. The problem is that you are a monster. I can only love you once you regain your sanity."

Danny didn't understand. His father caressed his face lovingly with one hand while the other held onto the machine that ripped into him. The pain, Jack could end the pain. It made him want to cry, to laugh, to just fade away. His father was his everything. He fed him, he starved him, he let him live, he killed him, he held his world in his hands. He made him feel loved and hated.

"Tell me the truth," Jack ordered, his voice soft but his eyes demanding.

"I'm a monster! Stop! Stop the pain!" Danny cried, his words muddled and his voice desperate.

"No that's not what I want to hear," Jack said frowning before he plunged the claw like metal further into him. Danny screamed in pain, struggling before his limbs felt like led and it dropped in a heap. Danny's cries turned into sobs, his body shivered at the exertion. He could feel it, he could feel the device steal his ectoplasm. He didn't understand what his father wanted.

"Who are the monsters Danny?" Jack asked.

"Ghosts!" he sobbed back, his voice barely recognisable.

"Good, then what is the truth?" Jack asked.

"I'm a monster!"

"Tell me the truth"

"I'm a monster!"

"The real truth Danny. You're just lying because you're in pain. Who's the real monster? What part of you is it that needs to be destroyed?" Jack asked, his voice ever so patient.

Danny looked into deep blue eyes that seemed to glint in understanding. He tried desperately to understand. His brain wracked through every possible answer. He was the monster. Phantom was the monster… Danny couldn't denounce Phantom. Phantom was just as much a part of him as was his human half. The torture device twisted again causing Danny to scream out with renewed vigour.

"Phantom! Phantom is the monster… I'm a monster"

A smile crossed against Jack's face and the same laughing eyes he had in the past came to life. It was the eyes of his father when he had tucked him into bed, when he had read him stories, when Danny had caught his first fish on their trip to the lake. The metal claws were slowly taken out of his chest and the feeling of suffocation was instantly relieved. The stinging pain still made the halfa gasp like a fish out of water but at least he could breathe. Danny felt himself being pulled into an embrace that promised comfort.

"I hate you so much," Jack whispered.

Danny clung tighter and cried into his father's chest. The pain, the sorrow, the shame washed away by the simple act every human knew on their first day in the world. Soon he was lost in his tiredness. He didn't think; just cried. He felt the emotions roll out of him uncontrollably, like his mind had lost all reason. Thinking was painful, feeling was painful, living and dying was painful. He welcomed the darkness.

* * *

The familiar sound of ringing seemed to enter his conscious. Something about it seemed to ring both danger and excitement. The ringing soon became louder and soon the darkness seemed to meld into both pain, some remainder of a sort of anguish he knew he'd rather forget, and the simple tiredness that came along with opening one's eyes. He did so out of habit, if only to appease his paranoia. It was as if when he kept his eyes shut that something horrendous could happen.

He blinked the haze before his senses burst to life. The blinding light burnt through his windows as he gripped the linen bed sheets with pain. The mere effort of sitting up seemed like it required a thousand decades to accomplish. The ringing soon became insufferable. Danny picked up the device from underneath his pillow as he took a minute to process who was calling.

"Phantom you're late," Superman said through the com-link.

Danny rubbed his head and groaned a little before he looked at the clock. He had only just noticed the bandages around his chest that seemed to be seeping ectoplasm and blood.

"Phantom are you okay?" Superman asked again.

"Y-yes. I… uh have some ghost things that came up. The event that came up last week is still happening," he replied as he got out of his bed. He hated lying but he couldn't let them know. He couldn't let Jack know. No one could know.

"That's fine just call in next time," Superman replied from the other side before he cut the link.

Danny pushed his legs off his bed and let what happened the night before sink in. A shiver ran down his spine, and he felt bile rise up his throat. Jack had been so happy the past few weeks to which he was both relieved and frightened. Last night played through his mind continuously. He knew he shouldn't be feeling this way. He told himself again and again, trying fruitlessly to convince himself that he really wasn't a monster, that he only said those things again and again to stop the pain. Last night… last night had forced him to realise the truth.

Through all the pain and suffering from the torture he felt something new. He felt hatred, a hatred he knew was directed at himself. He was meant to be the hero, the one who walked away with victory, but instead his own father tortured him and he even renounced himself. How could he be anything but the monster he was claimed to be when this was all he now perceived?

Danny convulsed when the door was opened. It was a violent reaction for such a small gesture that he could not contemplate. It only seemed natural that he jumped, that he ran to the corner and clung to some semblance of warmth. When he saw his father's large, gaunt figure enter the room he could only see tiredness. He wondered since when had such a great man fallen to such a low. When Jack walked towards him he appeared to still, his eyes followed unblinking, and his breath became non-existent. There it was again, the convoluted smile that promised comfort. Danny instead focused on the tangible food in his hands. It was a bowl of oats. He didn't like oats but he was hungry. When the man sat next to him Danny made no move until the bowl was placed in his hands. Strong comforting hands wrapped around his body forcing the boy to lean in closer.

"You have thought sometimes," said Jack, "thought that this was the face of a man once mighty. What do you think of your own face?"

Jack seized Danny by the shoulder before turning the boy to face the mirror opposite to him. Danny looked at his reflection, pale and haunted.

"Look at the condition you are in! Look your pale skin, your protruding bones. You smell like milk weeks old, left to simmer in the heat, bubbling and boiling and with every day turning ever putrid."

Danny looked, and looked, and what he saw was exactly what was described. Had he ever remembered a time when he had healthy skin, when his hair wasn't matted with grime and falling due to stress? Had he ever remembered a time when he looked in the mirror and couldn't see the bones protruding like a horror movie? It had been long before his mother died, Danny recalled, that he had stopped looking at himself in the mirror. Now he just stared, stared at what he had become and suddenly all the pride he had left.

"Eat Danny, I'm going to make you better," Jack said as he pushed the bowl further into the boy's hand. Danny took the porridge to his mouth and ate slowly. Tears brimmed, threatening to burst, but he did not think he had the energy to cry. Some part of him was still screaming at him for listening and for not simply throwing the food away defiantly. His body didn't seem to care. He had not eaten in a week and he had not left the house in a week. School was over and he was forced to lie again and again to the League and to his friends who were elsewhere due to family trips.

When Jack's arm retreated some irrational part of him wanted to cling to him, to tell him to stay. Danny realised he didn't care what Jack did to him. When he was comforted he felt happy when he was tortured he forgot the pain. He did not want to fail again. He was always failing at something, always being yelled at about something, and nothing he did produced any good. It was when he was alone that he knew of it.

* * *

Barry paced the Watchtower. Time seemed to pass by slowly and he hated it when things felt slow. He was meant to get things done fast and he projected that belief on others.

"Did you contact him? Is he finally coming back from his trip to the Ghost Zone?" he asked as he watched Superman fly in.

"Unfortunately no so you're going to have to take over his duty for him," Clark replied pointing at the maintenance manual.

Barry frowned a little and started tapping his feet extremely fast. Clark narrowed his eyes in confusion. He knew Phantom and Flash had a close relationship but he didn't understand what required the man to worry so much. These past few days he had been contacting the ghost again and again before giving up. Clark thought Phantom had already explained that there wasn't much reception in the ghost zone and he was starting to find Barry's fretting to be a little irrational.

"What has you so worried?" he finally asked.

Barry bit the bottom of his lip and frowned. He secretly went to check Danny's house and when Danny wasn't there he was relieved to know it wasn't because Danny was hiding something from him. The ghost had gone to the zone for a ghost zone national event or something. He would have been fine with that excuse if it weren't for being who he was and Danny being as secretive as he is. It all just seemed to throw him over the edge.

"Phantom's just a kid and I worry for him sometimes you know? He's had it pretty tough until we came along," Barry replied vaguely.

"From what I've seen of him in the field I can't say I understand your worries. He may not be the strongest or fastest out of us but he has some powerful abilities," Superman assured.

"And there are specialists out there that have a master's degree in combating those abilities," Barry replied with worry. "Maybe I should check up on his house and see if he came back."

Before Clark could have made any sort of comforting gesture Flash was out of the room. Barry couldn't just wait for this. So many scenarios were rushing through his head. He was so worried that he didn't realise until he nearly ran into Batman.

"Sorry, got to go!" he apologised as he got up.

"Flash, wait," Hawkgirl called out. "There's been a magnitude 5 earthquake in Japan. The team will be needed there."

Barry groaned…

* * *

Danny found himself sitting in front of the ghost portal loathingly. The idea of simply going in there, creating a lair and simply erasing his existence occurred more than once. It was the image of Sam, Tucker and the League that stopped his thoughts from wandering too far.

His hands reached out to touch the velvet like fog that was the portal. The design astonished him and the very idea of a portal to another realm, even the realm of the dead, seemed to entice his imagination. He had explored so much of its depths and found something new, something more dangerous. There had been so many adventurous trips but now the excitement seemed lost to him. He used to visit the Far Frozen, Dora, Klemper and even Ghost Writer once in a while, but now he only went in to recuperate and leave.

Danny let the rest of his body drench in the cool substance as he entered the portal. It was like a comforting blanket of cold had embraced him momentarily as he entered the zone. He opened his eyes and gasped.

As far as his eyes could see the doors to the many realms were broken. Danny transformed before flying further in. He took note of the broken surroundings. In fact it looked almost like the ghost zone was crumbling in on itself. Worry and confusion made itself prevalent but there was something even more oddly disturbing about the sudden destruction of the ghost zone. Wouldn't that mean that Earth was in danger too?

Danny worriedly made his way back when his enhanced hearing caught the familiar whining of an animal he knew. Danny flew quickly in the direction of the pained yelps when he saw a group of unknown ghosts crowding around a small and wounded Cujo. Danny's eyes flashed in warning as he extended his aura out in a threatening manner. On his best of days the ghosts would have fled in horror but he was weak and everyone looked strangely desperate.

"Stay away ghost-boy! It's just a dog, why do you care?" one of the ghosts asked.

"He's not just a dog," Danny growled furiously, "He's _my_ dog!"

"Our after-life depends on absorbing him! We can't let ourselves fade away! Do you want us to go to the Unworld?!"

Danny flinched back that the mention of Unworld but when he heard Cujo whimper in pain rage took over fear. He held out his hands and shot ice shards at the ghosts who tried to dodge but were hit somewhere or another.

"I don't care if you fade away and suffer for eternity. No one touches my dog!"

Danny wailed on the humanoid ghosts as he fought them. They threw themselves at him only for Danny to throw out ectoplasmic whips at them and drag them to the ground. They struggled under the ectoplasmic ropes and Danny walked confidently through them and towards Cujo. He knelt next to the bleeding and somewhat melting dog and held him gently in his hands. Cujo's big red eyes shone happily as it looked into Danny's bright green.

"Don't worry boy, I'm getting you out of here," Danny assured the wounded dog.

He made his way out of the zone wondering why those ghosts were trying to absorb Cujo. Wasn't the ghost zone enough to replenish their ectoplasmic needs? Consuming each other was taboo punishable by being doomed to the Unworld. His thoughts seemed to wander frantically. He wanted to go back and ask about what was happening but Cujo was wounded and he was sure the lab had pure ectoplasm in it from Jack's experiments. He could face the punishment for using those later but for now he needed to save Cujo.

The looming presence of the portal was in sight and Danny found himself flying at speeds he didn't know he could fly at. Once he made it through he held Cujo tightly and went straight for the pure ectoplasm supplies. He noticed a large cylindrical metal device beeping red lights in the corner and noted it as the machine Jack was working on recently.

"Danny, Danny, Danny, what have I told you about not touching pure ectoplasm?"

Danny jumped and turned around in fright when he saw Jack. He looked at Cujo's whimpering form and quickly stuffed the rising urge to hide in a corner.

"H-he needs it! H-he's destabilising," Danny replied as defiantly as he could.

Jack moved closer, his laughing face shrouded by his long unruly hair. Danny moved backwards until he found his back hitting the bench table. Arms slowly closed around the wounded dog tighter as it pushed the dog further into his wounded chest. He didn't care about the pain. He didn't care about the pain he was about to face not when Cujo was melting in his arms.

"Isn't that a good thing? Shouldn't you be happy that all those monsters are disappearing?" Jack asked before his smile turned into a frown. "Oh, that's right you're one of them aren't you? Well no need to worry. I won't let you destabilise or Maddie will be mad. I found a way to corrode the ghost zone and a way to make as much ectoplasm I want! Isn't that great?"

Danny moved his back further into the bench and his breathing became rugged. The ghost zone was destabilising and it was all his father's fault. Cujo was hurt and it was all his father's fault. If he didn't do something it wasn't just the ghost zone that would suffer.

"You're going to destroy everything!" Danny replied with the last bits of his courage. "T-the human world and the ghost zone are connected! It's a mirror realm! If you destroy it then humans are going to die too!"

Danny watched as Jack's calm collected eyes turned maniacal. A large sorrowful smile spread his face, his eyes glinting red menacingly from the large machine destroying the ghost zone in the background. He laughed loudly although it came out abnormally hollow.

"That's just a theory used to scare the GIW and other ghost hunters into not harming the ghost zone," Jack replied still laughing a little.

Danny could see it, Jack was lying. He could see the way his father trembled a little, the way his eyes teared up and the dark bags of tiredness that rung underneath. He could see the man who had taken him out fishing, who had tucked him into bed, who had starved him for weeks, who had beaten him and tortured him and he could feel only love and fear.

"Y-you're lying," Danny whispered before in one sudden and quick move he took a vial of pure ectoplasm and with a defiant look poured it over Cujo.

"No!" Jack growled, his previously fragile demeanour turning strong and demanding in an instant. Danny felt the wind knocked out of him when Jack threw his fist at his wounded chest. Danny dropped Cujo and fell to the floor, wheezing in agony as he gripped his wounded chest. Jack pinned his son's hands down before taking out the Spectre Deflector. Danny looked at the device in horror and watched on helplessly unable to phase his hand through his father. Cujo saw his master struggling and while unable to transform into his large and scary form still bit deeply into Jack's leg. The ghost hunter grunted in pain before kicking the dog away. Cujo whimpered as he was slammed into the corner of a metal shelf.

Danny forced himself away from underneath Jack and quickly used his ectoplasmic ropes to grab his father and tie him down. He panted in exertion as he watched his father struggle before turning his dominant gaze upward towards his son.

"Finally showing you're true monstrous self. This is why Maddie died, and my little girl left! It was all because of you! It was all because of you!" Jack sneered.

Danny found himself crying a little as he held his chest in agony. He was tired. He felt like just going to sleep forever and letting someone else take over but he knew it was wishful thinking. Looking into Jack's eyes he could see the insanity to which he drove his own father. He could almost imagine Jazz standing there unable to look at him, and his deceased mother's disapproving glare. The feeling of worthlessness threatened to consume him whole but he knew the truth. That despite how much of a failure he was, that no one else deserved to be in pain because of it, and that he could prevent it from happening.

"I-I am a monster, I am a ghost, I am a phantom but I will not kill!"

With that Danny mustered as much ectoplasm in his hands shot the machine. A sizeable hole formed through the middle frying the machine and destroying it. Jack screamed in rage as he watched his hard work destroyed. Danny turned to his tied down father and fell to the ground.

"I hate you so much! I hate you! You will always be filth!" Jack screamed in rage before he started laughing. "But it doesn't matter! There's still one more Spectre Destabiliser in that filthy place! I will destroy the Ghost Zone no matter what!"

The halfa watched his father struggle and scream against the ectoplasmic ropes like a ravaged dog. He could only watched detachedly unable to comprehend the situation. He had just gone against Jack. He had just shattered one of his machines but there was still one more. If what he said was true then Dora, Frostbite and all his allies in the ghost zone were in trouble and so was the rest of the world. He was meant to be their Protector! He had been given the role of their Protector. Danny struggled to his feet and grabbed his father's collar in desperation.

"Where is it? Where?!" Danny asked, his green eyes wide in anxiety.

Jack spat on Danny's face as the boy flinched away. "Why would I tell a monster like you? Wait till I get out of these ropes," Jack replied, a sadistic smile creeping across his face.

Danny didn't have time for this. The whole world was about to be destroyed and he couldn't let his fear take over in a situation like this. He needed to find the last machine and destroy it before it was too late. He moved to the ghost portal when he the world turn and his vision haze. He looked down at his wounded chest and realised that he was too wounded to continue.

"You can't even save anyone let alone yourself. So much for Amity's hero," Jack laughed.

Danny in his anger took an ecto-gun and pegged it at his dad's head. It hit Jack square on his nose and knocked the man out. Danny had to admit that made him feel a lot better even if he felt like it was going to come and bite him in the back later.

"-Barry," Danny mumbled, "I need Barry."

Danny stumbled up the stairs and into his bedroom as he picked up the com-link from under his pillow. He stumbled through the numbers until he found Flash's.

"B-Barry," Danny stumbled feeling dizzy.

"Danny!" Barry replied through the link although he sounded busy to Danny. "Not the best time. The whole world seems to be turning in on itself! There are natural disasters everywhere!"

"I-I might know why. You need to hurry over, bring the League," Danny said before turning of the link.

Danny stumbled back to the lab before taking out the rest of the pure ectoplasm left on the shelves and pouring it over himself. He stumbled towards the knocked out Jack and used some real rope to tie him down to a chair, far away from any equipment. He didn't want to believe it but his father was undoubtedly the cause of many ghostly and human deaths.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled to the sleeping figure of Jack. His face seemed so peaceful… like the face he had known before everything went downhill. He tucked away Jack's matted hair and pretended for a second that nothing was wrong… that he was still his dad, that he still loved him, that he had not been the cause of so many losses of life.

"I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Fright Knight turned to his new master and bowed in fear. No one, not even Pariah Dark had made him feel so scared before in his life. This wasn't just a ghost…This was a true monster.

"What should we do? One of the machines Jack has created has been destroyed by Danny Phantom," Fright Knight asked as he kept his head low.

Large hands played with Pariah's old fountain pen as crimson red eyes shone through the darkened back of the room. Fright Knight stayed as far away from the figure in question, a simple thing to do with the largeness of the green and gold decorated room. A deep rumbling of laughter filled the room as Fright Knight made the outline of a sharp and disturbing smile emerge from the darkness.

"Danny Phantom, how cute," the ghost replied. "Shall we pay my old home a visit then?"

Fright Knight could only agree.

"Yes my lord, may it be as you wish"

-To be Continued-

 _ **Oh my god, how did you guys like part 1? There's definitely going to be a part two and depending on how long I make it maybe even a part 3. Anyway next chapter will have the League become aware of the secrets Danny was keeping from them and the mysterious figure from the end will reveal himself. It was a bit hard trying to keep Danny a mixture of both scared and brave. He would obviously be afraid of Jack, with good reason (ghost weapons) and also mostly because of the psychological blocks and abuse he has been facing. Jack has a pretty irregular character (which I did on purpose) considering he is also psychologically damaged in his own way. Sometimes he ignores Danny, other times he cares for his human half (in a twisted sort of way), and sometimes he just hates Danny in general. I think it's worse if someone is erratically acting towards you with comfort, pain and the you not knowing what they're going to do. I don't know but to me that sounds more scary than a person who simply hates you and wants to hurt you. At least then you can hate them back if all they do is abuse you.**_

 _ **If you guys are thinking 'this girl is sadistic' well then… I can only agree. Although a lot of this torture was inspired by a great and world changing book '1984'. If you love mental and physical torture as well as erratic and irrational people wanting sex (not described because it's not porn) then you should read it. Although I'm pretty sure the main character is gay for O'Brien. If you read it you'll understand why I think that.**_


	7. Ends and Beginnings Part II

Chapter7:Ends and Beginnings Part II

-Start-

"Danny, what's going on? Is the world ending? Another alien invasion?" Tucker asked through the phone.

"Yeah I want to know too?" Sam asked as she connected in on the call.

Danny sighed as he looked at his tied up father. "I-I need you two to come to Amity. Catch a flight back or jump through a ghost portal if you have to. Jack created a Spectre Destabiliser and it's corroding ectoplasm and not only that but it's somewhere in the GZ and you know how big that place is."

"Danny, are you alright? You sound like you're in pain?" Sam asked through the phone.

The halfa was about to come up with an excuse when his ghost sense went off and it wasn't Cujo for sure. He turned around for a second with a frown before he went back on the phone quickly.

"Call you guys back, a ghost's coming," he said cutting the phone despite their protests.

He slowly made his way downstairs before he heard grunting and a familiar laugh that sent chills down his spine. Trembling arms opened the basement door. Danny looked frightfully into crimson eyes.

Dan smiled. "Hello Danny"

Danny stumbled away before realising that his father was in Dan's hand, groaning in pain. Dan smiled charmingly as he threw Jack to Danny's feat.

"Why don't you finish him off?" Dan asked with a toothy grin.

Danny moved to a defensive position and frowned. "You know I don't kill," Danny growled.

"That's right, because you're a little boy-scout," Dan laughed. "Now why don't you end that poor sods pain with a little ectoplasm to the head?"

Danny growled threateningly. "Leave dad out of this!"

Dan's eyes narrowed. "I'm surprised that you care so much about the man who's been torturing you."

"H-how did you know?" Danny asked, his stuttering taking semblance over his usually brave façade.

"Well the perks about living with Clockwork is that he tends to update on you ever so often. He takes so much more pleasure than I do watching you get beaten and starved," Dan laughed.

"You're lying!" Danny yelled desperately, "Clockwork would never let you out!"

Dan's smile brightened. "And you're right about that. It was dear old daddy that I have to thank for that. Clockwork had to revert to his primordial state considering time was too important to leave unguarded when ectoplasm was failing. His powers over me and that dammed thermos was finally released and I was able to break free. Of course absorbing other ghosts and adding destruction to the Zone seems like the cherry on the top for now."

"You're crazy! Do you want to destroy both worlds? You'll destroy yourself too!" Danny reasoned.

"That's where you're wrong. Jack's machine is under my control and I can use it to create infinite supplies of ectoplasm. Once enough of the Ghost Zone and the human world is destroyed everyone will be begging me for protection!" Dan grinned victoriously before he threw Danny the claw he was tortured with. "You can live with me as my pet if only you plunge that into Daddy Dearest."

Danny caught the claw let out a shuddering breath. He looked down at the groaning figure of the man who had loved and tortured him for years… his own father. He knew he would never join Dan but the thought of just killing the man and making himself feel a little better seemed appealing.

" _I-I am a monster, I am a ghost, I am a phantom but I will not kill!"_

Danny clung to that memory as he threw away the claw. He instead shot out his hand and threw ecto-beams at Dan. The older ghost just frowned before catching the attacks like it was nothing.

"Oh and here I was thinking you'd look cute in a collar," Dan laughed as he charged at his younger self. Danny was caught by Dan's strong hands as he was slammed into the ground. Danny quickly used the momentum to kick Dan's stomach so the ghost would be forced off of him. Dan skidded across the living room, breaking the tea table in the process.

"Fuck you Dan," Danny growled.

"Language son," Dan replied jokingly as he lunged at his younger self.

Danny found himself unable to block the barrage of punches that came his way. He ducked under Dan's punch only to be taken off guard as he was kicked back into the basement. Danny groaned as his wounds started bleeding again. He noticed the Spectre Deflector next to him and hid it behind him despite the stinging pain. When Dan lunged at him again, Danny quickly took the device and wrapped it around Dan's neck. The ghost growled in pain before backing away and grabbing at his burning neck.

"Phantom!" Superman growled as he came crashing through the door.

Dan broke the Spectre Deflector as he threw it to the ground. He noticed the Flash, Superman and a few other heroes come in. He growled in irritation, wondering since when had they ever come together as a team. Clockwork hadn't shown him this and this had never happened in his reality.

"This is not over," he growled before opening a portal and disappearing.

Barry ran over to Danny as he knelt down next to the wounded and coughing Phantom. Danny leant in towards the older man as he coughed up ectoplasmic blood. He looked into Barry's worried eyes and frowned. He was going to revert back to his human form.

"Phantom, did he hurt you?" Diana asked worriedly.

"Yes and no," Danny replied evasively as he coughed a little. "Can you see those vials in the corner? Bring it to me."

Hawkgirl took the green liquid containers and handed it to the teen. Danny groaned as he poured the liquid over his chest. It stung at first but it soon melted into his body and stopped the aching pain a little. Danny found himself half-lidded as the rings of light crossed his body. Hawkgirl, J'onn, Green Lantern, and Diana watched in surprise as Danny's human form was revealed.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on?" John asked voicing everyone's concern.

"He's-" Barry began when Danny stopped him. The teen forced himself up and onto a chair as he grabbed his chest in exertion. Cujo, who had recently awoken forced his way into Danny's arm before licking his face. Danny smiled a little at the dog for comforting him before he put him on his lap.

"I wasn't honest with all of you," Danny admitted guiltily. "My real name is Daniel Fenton. I'm not entirely ghost or human… I'm half. It's a long story and… I don't know where to start."

J'onn knelt next to the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Everyone in the room could see it, the boy was wounded and he looked thin and pale to the point where a single touch looked like it could break him.

"What happened to you Phantom? Didn't you say you were going to the ghost zone?" Superman asked in concern. Batman looked at the boy with silently, knowing where this conversation was going to lead. So he took the bound man and dropped him in the middle of the Leaguers. The heroes looked at the groaning man in confusion.

"Did he do this to you?" Batman asked, his voice sounding even but faltering a little in anger.

"No! I-I… yes," Danny confessed before his fists clenched in anger directed towards himself. "It was my fault. When I had told my parents about myself they didn't take it well. They wanted to cure me and I didn't want to be cured. I was so selfish and because of that I killed me mom, and Jazz left, and dad went crazy."

The team was shocked to see the usually sarcastic and childish boy cry. Diana was especially angry at the man for having caused such harm to his own flesh and blood. J'onn had to stagger back a little so he wasn't affected by the halfa's strong emotions. Hawkgirl was about ready to use her mace on the man and John could only agree. Their thoughts were interrupted by the ground underneath them shaking.

"Phantom, you said there was a reason to all of this," Batman asked. While he and the rest of the team really did feel like giving a blow of justice to Jack, the whole world was going crazy and they didn't have time to waste.

"Yes. J-Jack created a machine- the Spectre-destabiliser. It's destabilising the ghost zone but the problem is that the ghost zone and the human world are connected. If one falls the other falls along with it. I've destroyed one machine but the other one is in the Ghost Zone."

"That's no problem then. I'll just run in, find it, destroy it and all this will be done," Flash said quickly.

Danny shook his head, frowning a little as he thought about how he should approach the topic of Dan. He sighed as he looked at the heroes in tired shame. Out of all of his screw-ups Dan was real high on the list. For once the room was silent. Everyone looked at the teen that looked about ready to just give up and it made them afraid.

"Dan… He's a really powerful ghost that… well he is me from the alternate future where I turn evil. No one was a match for him and he destroyed the whole world… including all of you," Danny replied with brutal honesty. His grip on Cujo became tighter as he thought about the horrible futuristic world he had seen where there were no heroes, no villains, just a pack of survivors and Dan. "I defeated him, trapped him in a thermos and intrusted him into the care of Clockwork, a ghost who controls time. Since Dan himself is outside of time Clockwork must have been unable to see his escape and therefore became unable to prevent it. Unfortunately Clockwork is bound to protecting time and he had to revert to his primordial state before time itself collapsed with the ghost zone. Dan was able to free himself afterwards and I'm sure he has control over the remaining Spectre Destabiliser."

The team took a moment to contemplate the information they were given. Danny shifted a bit in his seat feeling entirely uncomfortable when Barry hugged him tightly. Danny flinched at the contact but found himself stiff and shocked when he felt Barry's tears drip into his ruined shirt.

"I can't believe you've been holding all of this in," Barry cried into Danny's shoulder.

Danny didn't know why but he felt happy. Here was someone crying for him after finding out who he really was. Danny hugged the hero back and found tears of relief running down his face. The team watched the touching moment without making a move. They didn't want to ruin the moment considering they didn't know exactly what the teen had gone through the past week.

"Next time you come straight to me if you have problems. We're all here for you. We're a team," Barry said as he pulled away.

Danny wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded. The earth shaking seemed to strike his mind back in tangent to the problem at hand. He put Cujo down before standing up shakily and moving to the weapon storage. There were a few Fenton Peeler's and other weapons such as the Fenton Wrist Ray and the Fenton Foamer but he went mostly for the Spectre Deflectors, cringing a little as he grabbed the whole lot.

"We'll be going into the ghost zone. Ghosts aren't easily affected by humans but considering all of us aren't exactly normal we'll be fine. Just keep in mind that in the ghost zone the humans are the ghosts," Danny replied as he handed everyone the spectre deflectors. "If you wear those ghosts will most likely not touch you and will be unable to overshadow you either."

Danny quickly moved to the portal when he felt Superman's arms grab his shoulder and halt him.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Into the ghost zone," Danny replied with a 'duh' face.

"Phantom, Superman is right," Diana said as she stepped forward, "you don't look ready to fight."

"Especially someone who's destroyed the whole world before," Barry added.

Danny fumed. "I've defeated him before and I can do it again!" The sudden yelled caused Danny to cough out some blood which reinforced the Leagues ideas. Danny paused and took a deep calming breath. "Look I don't have to even fight just take me along. You need me in there. I'm the only one with experience travelling through the zone."

"Fine but you are not transforming in your condition," John finally gave in.

"I am not being carried," Danny blushed before his thoughts wandered to being held by Diana. He flushed and shook the thoughts out. Tucker really was corrupting him.

"We'll take the jet," Batman spoke up for the heroes who couldn't fly to which Danny breathed a sigh of relief. The teen turned to Cujo and patted the bruised ghost dog's head. "You look after Jack while I'm gone okay. Make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

Danny, Barry and Bruce then walked out of the house and towards the jet. Batman took out the device he had been working on and decided it was a good time to inform the half-ghost.

"I've nearly finished the design for the ghost portal," Batman said as he handed Danny the prototype. It was a small, watch like device that was square at the ends and had a circle in the middle.

"You knew?" Barry asked in shock to which he was ignored.

"No one's tested it have they?" Danny asked worriedly.

"No, why do you ask?" Batman asked.

Danny fidgeted. "My parents weren't the first people to try and open a portal to the ghost zone. Magicians and scientists of the past have been doing so for quite a long time. I've heard of rumoured magical artefacts and spells that can open gateways to the zone but only my parents have been able to achieve it by science. If the exact location isn't correct then you could end up being trapped in the Unworld."

"Unworld?" Flash asked in confusion.

"It's a place in-between the ghost zone and the human realm. Over there you are neither ghost nor human. You can get there by messing with portals or when a ghost loses its obsession. It's also where the observants send you if you do too much damage," Danny said shivering at the idea. It would have been where Dan would be sent if it weren't for the fact that he soon became someone outside of time. In fact he only knew of one other ghost that had been cursed to that horrible fate.

"Then it's best if you don't turn it on," Batman replied, "unless it's absolutely necessary."

The trio got into the jet and somehow got it into the house and through the portal (don't ask how). The team then made their first entry into the Ghost Zone. Like Barry, they were quite shocked to see the green and purple landscape in front of them. It's twists and turns of irregular stairs and doors seemed to stretch into endless expanse.

"This is your world," Superman said a little miffed. He attributed it to the lack of sunlight and how weak it made him after a prolonged period of time.

"Yay, hurray me right," the teen cheered sarcastically. "In any sense there are far worse places to be," Danny replied. "Now there are a few rules to obey in the ghost zone; firstly rules are relative to the place we are in, and secondly non-ectoplasmic entities are prohibited to enter. Now I want you all to forget those rules because the world is ending."

"Way to put it Mini-man," Barry replied dryly. He was just happy that Danny was back to his sarcastic self again even if he did look like the walking dead.

They soon found themselves travelling deeper and deeper into the zone. There seemed to be more groaning and melting ghosts as they went in. The usually messy structured stairs leading who knows where seemed to be crumbling in on itself. It made Danny increasingly jittery.

"Stop! If you proceed any further we will have to stop you!"

Danny groaned before taking the microphone from the jet. "Look here you little twit! The ghost zone is collapsing in on itself and people are dying every-fucking-where, and you're worried about us passing through your territory?! Where the fuck is Walker when the whole world is chaotic?!"

Suddenly the one guard was backed up by a hundred more and a few other ghosts mixed in. Now Danny regretted his sudden bout of cussing and provocation. It also begged the question as to why other ghosts were _supporting Walker_ 's men.

"Hey that's Danny Phantom in there. Weren't we given a catch on sight order?" one of the ghosts yelled out.

The other's started murmering in agreement as they drew in closer towards the gang. Danny was becoming increasingly frustrated. Didn't those ghosts see that the Zone was crumbling in on itself? Did they not care?

"Let me out of here," Danny growled as he went for the door. Batman grabbed Danny's arm and frowned a no.

"You're in no state to fight. Let the team handle this," he said sternly.

"People are dying. Ghosts are being fed to the Unworld!" Danny growled, his eyes flashing toxic green in anger. "I can't just sit by and watch! I have to take responsibility!"

"This wasn't your fault," Barry said putting a hand on Danny's shoulder.

Danny looked outside and his eyebrows knit together in suppressed anger. "It is me. I'm the one holding the machine. I'm the one who destroyed a whole timeline. It was all me."

"We are our decisions," Bruce replied shutting the teen down. "You are not the one who made this decision. It was someone else. Now let the team fight and we will let you make the decisions."

Danny slumped back in his seat as he watched Superman, Hawkgirl, John and J'onn fight through the hordes of ghosts. Batman was piloting the jet which he had inbuilt ectoplasmic guns into after he found out about ghosts. Thankfully it seemed to be working.

"We've made it through most of them. Phantom, where do we go next?" Superman asked through the link.

"We are travelling to the Far Frozen. Areas in the ghost zone never stay in the same place. Ectoplasm likes moving around so my friend and I created an algorithm to predict the circumference of it-"

"Just tell us where," Hawkgirl grunted through the link.

"Right," Danny replied quickly.

Bruce was thoroughly impressed as he watched Danny make those calculations. He had looked at Danny Fenton's grades and they seemed to fluctuate randomly. Ever since his mother had died, Batman noted the rise in Danny's grades. It seemed it was attributed to the recent decline in ghost attacks on Amity grounds. Of course he didn't know whether Jack had a part in it either. He hadn't expected the level of abuse he had found out when he first did his research. He had assumed that Jack simply neglected Danny and that was the extent of their relationship. If he'd known the teen was being literally tortured in his own home he would have done something sooner.

"There it is," Danny said as he pointed to the large floating expanse of ice. It seemed there was a giant barrier in front of it. "Now I really need to go out and negotiate."

Barry sighed. "Just be careful"

"Sure thing boss," Danny replied as he transformed with great pain and exited the jet. The rest of the team watched as he walked to the barrier and placed his hands on it. Danny put a hand on it and inscribed the ancient yeti code onto it before creating a door. He felt instantly tired as the rings passed through his body turning him into a human. Diana quickly caught the weak and thin boy as he fell.

"They'll be alerted to us having opened the barrier. I need to show them it's me," Danny replied trying to get out of Diana's grip and onto the icy land.

"You're too weak," she replied with finality.

Danny was about to grumble when he supposed it was a good thing he was being held by older beautiful women. He reluctantly shoved down those inappropriate thoughts when he saw yetis approach. They looked armed and angry until they saw him.

"The Great One!" they called out in surprise.

"Great one?" Barry asked as he zoomed next to Diana and Danny.

Danny didn't respond but instead pushed himself of Diana despite her protests. He shakily stood on the ground and bowed his head as customary greetings to which they followed by bowing lower.

"We have come because of the dire circumstances in the Zone," Danny said coughing a little. "We need to see Frostbite."

"Of course Great One, follow us!"

Diana gestured to carry Danny again to which he refused. Any other day he would have been fine being held by a pretty older woman but right now he couldn't afford to look weak. He was meant to be Far Frozen's protector. That was the title he was tasked and the Far Frozen was not a place where the weak were looked onto gently even if they were injured. He didn't need political problems and people questioning his decision making skills at a crucial time like this… not when Dan was on the loose.

"This is fascinating," J'onn said as he walked by Batman and Green Lantern.

"To think the ghost zone inhabits whole nations of civilisations," John agreed.

"If you think this is cool, wait until Bats finds out there's a library with every known written record, book, or notes that anyone has ever written," Danny replied with a light jab.

Batman perked at the news and subconsciously drew closer to listen in on the conversation. Barry blanched.

"You mean my in-class essays from my high-school days are there?" Barry asked, although what he really wanted to know about was whether his diary would have been recorded down as well.

"You bet," Danny replied. He pushed it into the back of his head as a reminder to go in and get some useful blackmail on Barry. "Although I do go there every once in a while to read some fanfiction."

"You mean to say that you had a library with classified documents on your finger-tips and you don't use it? But you went to read _fanfiction_?" John asked incredulously.

Danny laughed a little despite the pain and exhaustion he was facing. "You underestimate the extent of which a teenager can procrastinate," the teen replied. "Plus I did do some research there on the GIW once but that's a story for later. We're here."

The heroes gaped as they entered what looked like an advanced civilisation of Yetis and other ghosts. Danny figured he had good reason to worry now considering there were other ghosts inside the Far Frozen. From what he knew of the Yeti's they hardly had contact with others and were very protective of their land. Danny even noted a few of Dora's citizens and wondered if the ghost princess was safe. Soon they made it to the high court. Danny often visited Frostbite here.

"Great One!" Frostbite greeted gravely, his usual energetic tone lost. Princess Dora and Pandora appeared from behind the Yeti leader.

"Frostbite, Princess Dorothea, Pandora," Danny greeted as formally as he could. He wasn't here visiting as a friend but rather as a sworn protector. He couldn't simply hug them like he really wanted to.

"Pandora… I had always thought of her as a myth," Diana gasped.

Danny walked into the large Ottoman like building. The Far Frozen prided themselves in their ability to sculpt from ice so Corinthian like designs of ice arched through the walls and glittered clear. How they managed to make the ice clear he had no idea but if anything they were setting his own standards high. This time though Danny walked through the beautiful building with his eyes set on the meeting table. There he was pleased to see many ghosts he had once fought. The Box ghost, Lunch Lady, Ember, Johnny & Kitty, and Amorpho were standing by the table.

"Danny!"

Danny whipped his head around at the familiar voice. He nearly fell to the floor when his clone charged at him and hugged him tightly. Through the pain he felt immensely happy. Even Wulf was standing behind her with a smile.

"Dani… I'm in pain," Danny wheezed.

Dani let go and the heroes gave Danny a pointed look that screamed for an explanation. Before Danny could explain why there was a little girl that looked an awful lot like him he was beat to it by Dani's excitement.

"Oh my god! Wonder Women, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern! You're like my favourite heroes!" she squealed in fan-girl mode before she realised she hadn't introduced herself. "My name's Dani, with an i," she said excitedly as she shook Hawkgirl's hand like crazy before moving onto Diana and John.

"Dani is… well I guess you could say she's me," Danny answered with a frown before he continued, "but also not me. Well she's my clone but she's also my friend Sam's clone too. So I think you could say she's like my daughter?"

"Don't even try and categorise me! I'm too cool for that," Dani said as he puffed her chest with pride.

Danny smiled a little at her antiques and shook Wulf's hands before he just went in for a bear hug. He didn't tell the wolf-man but he was grateful that Wulf took care of Dani. Without him Dani might have had to live in the ghost zone and only be able to visit through his portal… and he didn't want her finding out about Jack. The team looked on with intrigue. They're youngest member was a 'father' even before they were. Frostbite decided to break the reunion as more pressing matters were at hand.

"I'm sorry Great One but we must get back to the meeting at hand. We are facing a grave situation," Frostbite ushered.

Danny was led to the end of the table and he felt mostly awkward having sat down at the head seat when it should have been Frostbite, Pandora or Dorothea. They were the people with royal and military blood in them after all. But he knew of his position as Protector and he knew that the responsibility now fell on him. He watched silently as the heroes took seats on the sides of the long table and waited patiently as they sat. He followed etiquette and stood up before starting the meeting.

"We shall now start," Danny said before he sat down.

The team watched in bewilderment. Barry especially because Danny was being given so much respect from the other ghosts. He looked to his right and noticed the pretty ghost and wondered if he should ask her.

"Why is Danny sitting up the front?" he asked. John and Diana listened in completely enthralled to know what exactly their youngest teammate had done to earn such respect.

Dorothea gave the human a pointed look. "Did you not know? Phantom is the saviour of the ghost zone. He has accomplished many things such as freeing my kingdom from my oppressive brother and defeating Pariah Dark the Ghost Zone's tyrannical King."

Barry was admittedly impressed but even more so when Frostbite stood up and imposed his domineering figure upon the rest. It looked as if he were about to say a speech.

"As you know the Ghost Zone is now collapsing along with our sister dimension. Any planet connected to the ghost zone will soon be destroyed unless we put a stop to this. Right now we have been sent a messenger who has claimed that all resisting dominions will be destroyed unless it aligns itself to Dan Phantom."

"What say Phantom? He knows this man well, correct?" Pandora interrupted.

Danny stood up and his face turned grim. "I will not lie to you. Dan Phantom is a version of me that has chosen the path of destruction and he is a strong individual. If my suspicions are correct he will be gathering as many desperate ghosts as he can under his rule and more so undoing the seals of those who are in imprisonment."

"What of the Observants?" Dora asked, raising everyone's concerns.

The halfa sighed as he thought of those useless eyeballs. "They will not save us and nor will Clockwork but I have bought a team of heroes from Earth to aid us in this battle. No doubt the observants have fled to protect time… and themselves. We cannot look to unseal the Ancients anymore because the pbservents hold the keys. We are going to face this battle ourselves."

The room broke out in murmurs while the heroes watched on silently. They had little experience with Ghost Zone politics and as such decided to let Danny do the talking. People broke out into whispers about joining Dan and that's when Frostbite stood up again and the room fell into silence.

"According to Ghost Law, Dan Phantom is not allowed to assume control over the Zone unless he has beaten the current line to the throne or the King. Danny Phantom still holds the mantle."

"I have not assumed the crown," Danny replied rubbing his temples. He didn't want to be King. The responsibility of ruling the whole Ghost Zone didn't seem appealing.

Some ghosts started protesting. The idea of a half-human child as a King seemed utterly wrong to them but now Danny was starting to have enough. He held out his hand and silenced the room before using his levitation abilities to pull the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire towards himself. The ghosts watched silenced by Danny's suddenly intimidating figure as he held the powerful artefacts.

"A Kingship is not a democracy," Danny stated with as much force as his tired body could. "Let it be known that I have defeated the previous King Pariah Dark! Instead of ruling the Zone with an iron fist I laid down the crown and simply became your Protector. Did I not take down our threat the GIW? Did I not put away ghosts such as Vortex and Dan Phantom before? Right now we are in a war. If need be then I will assume power not only as a King but also as your Protector! Now we can either sit here waiting for the collapse of our homes and our very cores or we can stand up and fight!"

The room broke out into applause. Danny took the Ring of Rage and put it on his finger before adorning the Crown of Fire. A green fire seemed to surround his body and Danny felt powerful. He could feel his Phantom form grow to the height he really was and his wounds started closing and healing. He could feel the thrum of his core singing with calm, flowing power.

The members of the Assembly watched on as the transformation took place in awe. Danny Phantom stood tall as an imposing figure now. He had grown in height, his white hair grew in length so it almost looked like it was being blown back gently by a breeze and a long black cape extended from his back. He glowed brightly with power and demanding authority.

"Is that Danny?" Barry mumbled in shock.

The ghosts in the room quickly got on their knees and bowed. The utterly magnificent image of a King was broken when Danny started fretting over their actions. Barry chuckled a little causing the teen to huff in embarrassment. Danny stopped fretting and felt a little pride at the respect his people were showing him. A voice in the back of his mind whispered he was a failure that he was a monster but what Danny saw in front of him spoke differently.

" _If I am a failure, and a monster then I am the King of failures and monsters"_

"What do you wish for us to do?" Frostbite finally asked as he looked up.

Danny's eyes hardened. "Send a messenger. If Dan is not to give up the machine destroying our worlds then we will wage war."

"As you wish my lord," Frostbite said with a small amused smile. Danny smiled back at the ghost Yeti as he watched him and the other ghosts leave. Dora and Pandora stayed behind as they approached him.

"From an honorary Knight to a King," Dora chuckled.

"You have fought well for us and I'm sure you will continue to do so valiantly," Pandora added before she bowed lightly and left the room.

When the two ghosts left the room Danny found himself alone with the League members. He slumped down on the chair and groaned loudly causing the team to remind themselves that this was still a teenager. Barry sped up next to Danny and patted his back chuckling.

"So mini-man has become the big guy huh," Barry laughed.

"God, why did I agree to this?" Danny groaned. "There's a reason why Pariah became an oppressive and destructive King. I heard the paper work will drive anyone insane!"

"Can't see why you're complaining when you've got hot ghost chicks all over," Barry commented before Batman walked forward.

"How many ghosts do you presume are approximately on our side?" he asked, bringing the problem to attention.

"That's hard to say," Danny replied mulling over the question. "Dora's kingdom has about 600 denizens, Frostbite about 1000, Pandora only has dead mythical Greek creatures, and what with all the other ghosts who want to resist Dan we only have an estimate number of 1800. Dan probably has the rest of the GZ dead or begging him for mercy so it's hard to say what we're up against."

"Is there anything we need to know before we do go into battle?" Superman asked.

"Yes. Now that I've become King, the old king Pariah Dark will no doubt awake and aid Dan. There are other rather important heavy hitters such as Fright Knight, Vortex and Aragon. Those three will definitely have you guys sweating. We will have more concrete information once we send in spies to gather information."

Danny got up from his seat and made his way to Dani and Wulf when John stopped him. "Shouldn't you be resting from your injuries?"

"Injuries?" Dani asked curiously.

"The crown gave me more power than I imagined," Danny replied as he poked his chest, "I'm completely healed right now."

"But are you really well?" Diana asked.

Danny closed his eyes and tried to forget what happened the past few weeks. He did not want to remember what he had gone through. He did not want to remember just how close he had come to believing his father's words and simply rotting away in self-hate. He did not want to remember how close he was to simply giving up Cujo because of his irrational fear.

"I used to think that I was a failure… that everything I touched would add to it. I had failed my whole family and even you Dani. I could not provide for you and instead threw you out into the streets when you were barely even a year old," Danny said disgusted at himself.

"No biggie," Dani replied uncomfortably. "Plus it's not like you just threw me out. You took a whole day off of school to find Wulf and ask him to help me."

"That is not all," he replied looking away. "I had failed to help Jazz when she needed me and drove my own father to madness. I was the one who broke up my family… I was the one who created Dan." Danny mulled over what he said before he looked the team straight in their eyes. "However I am tired of dwelling on my mistakes. I cannot wallow around anymore. I've realised some things are just outside of my control. I could not stop the car crash that killed my mother. I couldn't stop Jazz from hating me. I couldn't help my dad overcome his grief. I couldn't stop my alternate self from accepting his pain and moving on. But there are things I can do and if I don't then I'm afraid I'll really be a failure. Right now I will focus on the things that I can do."

Barry zoomed next to Danny and put a hand on his shoulder. "We have your back no matter what Mini-man," Barry said ruffling Danny's hair.

Hawgirl, Superman, J'onn, Diana, Green Lantern, and Batman stepped forward as well. "We are a team," Superman said causing Danny's heart to jump a beat. He still hadn't gotten over his man-crush on Superman.

"We will follow you to battle as you have followed us," Diana added.

"You're a real soldier," John agreed.

"Well actually I'm a King now," Danny replied as he pointed at his crown jokingly.

"But you're still a kid," John added making the teen pout.

"And you're the best father anyone could have," Dani added before Danny gave her a 'really' look. "Actually no you're not but I'm darn happy I was your clone and not Vlad's."

"True, true," Danny agreed not wanting to witness a female Vlad. He shivered at the thought before he looked at his friends. He felt his cold core thaw a little in joy. A small genuine smile made its way across his face.

 _A King of monsters and failures, eh?_

For once Danny felt assured. The war, that would be later recorded as the War of the Two Worlds, would be taught as history and told as tales for the eternity to come.

-To be Continued-

 _ **A few people thought the mysterious person was Vlad.**_ _ **Man I'm sorry if I made it seem like Vlad was the mysterious bad guy. In all honesty Vlad's become a hermit in this story. Of course many people forget the Dan is also somewhat half Plasmius and may take some of his qualities as well. I thought it would only be fitting if Dan had a fixation on the Packers as well. Once in a while Vlad concocts a plan to destroy Danny but other than that Danny pities him now because the man is without an obsession. Of course that doesn't mean it's the end of Vlad Masters. There's going to be a separate arc just for him like there is for Lex Luthor in the JLAU. All of you are probably wondering where Sam and Tucker are at during this calamity. Danny left the Spectre Speeder so they're definitely going to make a cameo during the war. They are just held up because of natural disasters and such but Wulf's going to help them get to the GZ and fight alongside Danny.**_

 _ **Do you like Danny as a King? Personally I never liked the idea of Danny as a King but I haven't thought too far ahead for this story (I have planned out this arc) so who knows if Danny will remain King. I'll just let you guys decide whether you want that to happen or not. Just pm or leave a review on what you think should happen. He just needed to be king for a few things in later chapters to go through.**_


	8. Ends and Beginnings Part III

Chapter 8: Ends and Beginnings Part III

-Start-

Amorpho was really beginning to enjoy this sudden turn of events. Usually his talents were mostly disregarded by the other ghosts. Why would anyone want him to change into someone else? Unless of course they wanted you to spy. Amorpho didn't just imitate people he transformed into them. He didn't just take the physical appearance of an individual, took their attributes, their mannerisms, their voice. All he had to do to attain this form was a simple touch. So who better to transform into than one of Dan's most trusted servants; Fright Knight.

It was a simple enough mission (for him); get in get out and then report. He had planned every scenario in his head again and again before he actually carried out the plan. He even had some Far Frozen Yetis help him in the decision making process. Thankfully he didn't even have to talk to the feared 'Dan Phantom' as he was beginning to be called. The whole Dark Danny thing had instantly been turned down by their new King.

He made his way back to the base, with a whole report on the enemy. He was less than pleased on what he had managed to find. The enemy seriously had a lot of powerful allies on his side. One thing was for sure, Amorpho was having the time of his after-life.

* * *

Danny went to the far end of the room as he turned on the green lamp by the wooden table. The mansion looked untouched and the stillness of the room resonated emptily through the wide arching hallways. Perhaps, Danny wondered, if there were workers about then this place would seem lively… as lively as it could be in the realm of the dead anyway. The stillness was abruptly interrupted by the sudden wind that zoomed through the room. If Danny had not already become accustomed to these sudden appearances he would have undoubtedly shot at the intruding figure. However the familiar crimson streak usually came as a packaged deal with one Barry Allen.

"You're looking good," Barry lied.

Danny sighed and ran his fingers through his long white hair. Just a few hours ago he remembered it to have been matted down with sweat and blood. He still hadn't taken a proper shower after what had happened. Somehow the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire seemed to grant him some sort of power that neglected the whole week of torture he had been through.

"You're thinking something else," Danny pointed out.

"Yes," Barry admitted as his usually carefree smile turned into a frown. "We can talk about it if you want to."

"There's nothing much to say," Danny grumbled, "he did things to me, then he tried to destroy the ghost zone and I did not realise a doomsday device was hiding right underneath my nose. If anything I should have found out. Now dad's crossed the line… I can't just let this go."

Barry gripped the teen's shoulders hard and looked straight into his eyes. There was something hateful about the way Danny thought about his father. Barry could not perceive how someone could care so much about a man who had hurt them so much. The thought of being forcibly starved and of having someone in such a trusted position hurt and abuse you made his blood boil. When Joh West had taken him in he treated him like a son. If a man who didn't even have blood connections couldn't hurt his adopted son then Barry couldn't imagine why a father was capable of it.

"You are not defined by him or what he did," Barry said sternly, slowly, making sure the boy heard every syllable and ingrained it into his very being. He could see the pain, the fear, the weight on the boy's face, clearly embedded onto his features. It made him wonder when Danny would ever let someone else into his life, someone to help hold that weight. It was the same look he remembered on his own face before he let Iris carry some of his guilt and shame. There had been a time when he questioned his role as a hero… after all he couldn't even save his own father from being accused wrongfully of a crime he didn't commit. He couldn't even forget the image of his dead mother who was killed by the man he was forced to let go. In all sense Barry could understand the half-ghost teen more than he let on.

Danny looked away; his body remaining stern and unmoving as he contemplated what Barry told him. He felt happy but he also felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. In a matter of hours he would be deciding a course of action that would decide all. In a matter of hours he would be taking thousands of ghosts into a war he had no idea he would win. If even one of them was destroyed he would have to live with the fact that they were sent to the Unworld for the rest of his life. The idea horrified him, it made him want to run away, it made him think of all of his old failures. He couldn't do any of those, not when he was their Protector and their King.

"My lord!" a messenger ghost said hastily as he opened the door.

"What is it?" Danny asked as he moved away from Barry.

"Far Frozen will not remain more than a day my lord. The council asks that you come immediately to plan battle before all is too late."

"Thank you," Danny told the ghost as he quickly walked past the messenger. He speed walked through the hall-ways, his back uptight and coiled ready for a fight. Somehow it felt like he was about to go into a battle rather than a meeting. It set him on the edge and rightfully so considering it was his first move as king. " _And Kingship is not a democracy",_ Danny reminded himself. The idea that he had that much power scared him. In all honesty he believed no one should have that much power but the world did not work the way he wanted it. Once the war was over he could deal with the consequences… for now he would live in the moment.

"You've got this," Barry comforted.

Danny took a deep breath and nodded before he opened the large door. He forced down a blush at how corny this whole setup looked. A King storming into a posh meeting room, his cape fluttering behind, and his figure imposing; it all seemed like it really was a King Arthur story. It was real. He reminded himself that this wasn't some story. This was a real meeting, where he would really be discussing matters of life and death. The world was really going to end unless he did something and his choices would affect everything.

"Sit," Danny ordered as the assembly sat down. "Amorpho," Danny queued.

The faceless ghost stood up before coughing to get his voice right. Danny wondered for a second if he even had a throat or where the vibrations were produced to allow for him to speak. He instantly threw those useless thoughts out of his head. Now was not the time to get involved in useless details.

"Dan Phantom has amassed quite an army. Thousands of ghosts follow him if only to keep themselves alive. He also has quite a few notable followers in his midst. Fright Knight, Aragon, Vortex and even Pariah Dark are following him and a few others such as Skulker and Walker. They have no real structure as I have seen so far but it's known that Walker is exerting as much power as of late by… destroying ghost cores."

Ghosts started murmuring in outrage at what they had heard. The news went over the Leaguers heads but Danny could only feel the wrongness of that information linger in the air. The fate of the destroyed was the Unworld. It was a world without drive, without obsession, where you were neither alive nor dead, neither ghost nor human… where your existence had no purpose. Only one ghost had ever recorded to have been sentenced by the Observant council to such a death. Danny knew at one stage he was even scrutinised to have endured that fate. He hated to think that it was being so openly done.

"Silence!" Danny called out turning the crowd's attention. "A crime such as this is definitely punishable by the very same fate. Walker will face justice but for now we will let Amorpho continue."

Amorpho began again, "The estimated numbers of their army far outrival our own. They seem to be in the 10s of thousands. However the loyalty the ghosts have for Dan is simply because their existence relies on it. Also I know the location of the Fenton Spectre Destabiliser. It lies in the heart of enemy territory past the Carnivorous Canyon where the ghosts have flocked. They seem to out class out 10:1"

Danny's breath hitched and he scratched his arm in worried stupor. Those sorts of odds was not just bad news it was deadly. The fate of two worlds and possibly many more connected to the Ghost Zone were on the line here. The world would not end but Dan ruling over it meant something worse. If there was such a description of hell then it would be a world ruled by that monster. He wondered how he was meant to go through with this. The ghosts and heroes looked at him with expectation that made his stomach churn. He wondered if maybe he would even see a few of them after this was over. If they lost then he doubted he would see anyone. How could he possibly go through with something like this? He was just a teenager for god's sake!

"We will go to war regardless. If possible I will sway some of the ghosts to turn our way before the battle starts," Danny finally said. ' _We have no choice'_ he was about to say before he stopped himself.

"Prepare for war!" Frostbite roared, taking the lead for which Danny was eternally grateful. He watched as the ghosts left to spread the word. They looked frightened… a far cry from their usual gaudy overprotectiveness and zealous endeavours to project their obsessions on others.

"A King of monsters and failures," Danny mumbled to himself before a steely resolve overcame his eyes.

* * *

The army found themselves nearing the canyon. There seemed to an eerie silence following the large group, only broken by some grunting and muffled sobs of those ghosts who could not help but make them. The newly appointed King watched carefully behind him the people he was sending to their deaths and the friends that were following him. There was no grandeur of men chattering and people singing war cheers like he had seen in movies with chiselled god like men and their entourage. He silently cursed modern pop culture for not preparing him for this ordeal. Sometimes he wondered why he couldn't just be fighting some overly hyped dark lord with a magic stick, or maybe an intergalactic war where he controlled some sort of otherworldly force that would guide him. Instead he was stuck with an army of the dead following behind him. It almost looked like he was the evil King with his minions.

"You holding up kid?" Superman asked him with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, just about to go beat up my alternate evil onesie wearing self. No big deal, it's not like I haven't seen a world where he hasn't killed nearly everyone. Walk in the park right," Danny laughed nervously.

"Classic evil twin with a twist eh," Barry commented from the jet.

"You have no idea," the teen replied although the grave tone was duly noted. Danny made a stop as he saw they were reaching enemy base. "We will stop here!" Danny called out holding his hand up in a halt sign.

Just as that was said he saw Dan teleport to the front. The sounds of ghosts gathering echoed behind him. Danny could see the large multitude of ghosts and frowned. Most looked like they had lost their spark even more so than the ghosts behind him. Some were even fading away. He frowned as he looked at the hulking figure of Dan Phantom. A large grin tore through his face exposing a sick glee that looked oddly childish. _'Base instincts'_ , Danny thought in disgust. That was what he could have fallen down to. The sudden hate fuelled realisation gave the teen King a new sense of drive as he stepped forward with just as much confidence.

"I'll cut the crap of the customary 'you have to change your ways speech'," Danny called out with an amused expression as he could put on considering his circumstances. "I know how much of a stubborn soul I am."

"Finally agreed to being a part of me Danny Phantom," Dan grinned.

"Don't get me wrong," Danny growled with an air of superiority, "I can't even have fun poking fun at you considering I am you… well at least a mixture of you and Vlad. Why do you never wail on him huh?"

Dan's grin turned into a frown before a sort of realisation turned his annoyingly superior smirk his way. "What a pathetic weak King. Trying to look all mighty when he's just a little kid who's so unsure of himself that even his human father could hurt him to point of suicidal thoughts."

Danny had to force a threatening growl from passing his lips. Dan was baiting him and he knew that it was in these crucial moments that he had to get his army to feel like they were backed by someone worthy. He bit back the indignation and decided to continue this façade of gaudy power.

"Maybe you should take some tips from Spectra on how to put little _kids_ down Dan. Even Paulina did a better job at making me cry than you but why don't we cut this crap. I'm obligated to tell you and the poor souls behind you to step down."

"A war will be waged," Dan said with finality.

Danny turned back for a brief second to look at Bruce and Barry. They nodded at him, their eyes stern and trusting. They just had to go and make it impossible for him to ever fail didn't they? He turned back to Dan, the previous snarky air around him fading into a completely serious demeanour. It was vital that he got the rest of the ghosts behind Dan to turn their backs on him. He gulped in air hoping to get as loud a voice as he could for the upcoming speech.

"He wages war!" Danny said as he pointed at Dan, "and you will pay for it with eternal purgatory! What for?! Are you going to give up your obsessions and your core for this monster?! He has even sent many of you through Walker to the Unworld! If you do not want to suffer that fate then turn! Fight against him with us! Are we ghosts not proud creatures of will?! Where is the will we once put on such high pedestals?!"

Ghosts started murmuring behind Dan in approval, some even daring to fly past and towards the enemy army. The halfa could only watch in satisfaction as Dan's calm façade shattered for a second revealing his true anger. Currently he was thanking Lancer, bless his soul, for teaching him how to bullshit a speech so well in such a short time. He wondered if maybe Jazz would have been proud of him if she saw what he did.

"ENOUGH!" Dan screamed as he shot down a few ghosts stopping the flow from his side leaving his army. Silence seemed to permeate the upcoming battle field. "I HAVE THE MEANS OF DESTROYING ALL OF YOU! FIGHT WITH ME OR END!"

With that a few of his stronger, more notable ghosts screamed and charged followed by the others. Danny didn't even need to scream for his army to fight. They seemed to join in as an unorganised mess but a strong ghostly one nevertheless. He didn't even need to look for Dan before the ghost through a rather hard right hook to his face. The effects were painful and disorienting but the Ring of Rage seemed to dissipate the effects just as quickly.

The rest of the League were having much better luck. Danny had given them each all a certain ghost they would be suited to fight. Bruce had taken what the teen said to heart and as such found himself facing off against a rather intimidating figure. It was only fitting a Knight would fight a Knight. The Dark Knight looked into the image of fear itself as he had done many times before. The psychological effects of fear gas he had long since become immune to. Of course it still got the adrenaline pumping.

"Stand down human! My fight is with the boy who claims to be King! How dare he wear my liege's ring!"

"Unfortunately Phantom has more pressing matters to attend to. If I'm not worthy enough then it should be simply for you to defeat me and return to the 'real' fight," Batman retorted as he threw a batarang at Fright Knight who was caught off guard. The nightmare ghost growled threateningly as he pulled out the metal throwing weapon from his arm.

"Very well! Die bravely man of bats!"

* * *

"Vortex, Vortex, Vortex, here boy! Where are you boy?!" Barry whistled as he zoomed past the ghosts hopping about the floating solids as best as he could.

"Who dares mock my name!" a thundering voice grumbled from above.

"Oh there you are boy!" Barry shouted out. "Now why don't you be a good Vorty and sit!" he quipped as he spun his arms and reversed the tornado generated by the ghost. Vortex grunted in pain as he was forced to the ground but he quickly generated winds, nullifying the speedsters powers.

"You have forced the great Vortex to the ground," Vortex acknowledged with hidden shock. "You will be a worthy opponent and when I'm finished with you the world will be a _blast_!"

"Ugh, that was a horrible pun," Barry grumbled as he dodged a lightning bolt. "Let me show you some _fast jabs_!" he retorted as he threw a few jabs at the now grounded ghost.

Barry found himself thrown away by the static just as quickly and groaned as he rubbed his head. He was just too tempted to pull out some puns he forgot Danny's warning about touching him.

"Your mind is too _clouded_ human _._ You've _mist_ valuable opportunities!" the ghost yelled as he continued barraging the dodging human.

"How _shocking_ ," Barry replied sarcastically before he groaned and hit his face. Maybe there was such a thing as too much puns but he really couldn't resist himself. He had such a _running_ mouth after all. "But I gotta admit Sparky, you're going to be one fun hella of a fella to fight!"

* * *

"Pandora! Why do you fight for that brat?" Aragon growled.

Pandora didn't reply to the ex-King but rather looked to her left to see Diana. The Amazonian gave the supposed Greek Myth a small respectful smile before the four handed woman turned her attention to the roaring dragon.

"Do not speak of our King and Protector in such a way. He has rightfully gained ascension by proving his valour," the she-ghost praised. She held Phantom in high regard. Although still a child she would accept any warrior with such a heart as his.

"Yes Phantom is worthy to be called a King," Diana said before she turned to Pandora. "Let me assist my lady."

"A warrior I sense in you," Pandora replied with a smile before she twirled the two spears in her hand and leaned forward to the enemy. "Come, we shall not keep the enemy waiting."

Diana spun the sword in her hand in one swift circular motion before she charged with her ghost partner. They charged at the dragon Pandora distracting Aragon with her wide sweeps as Diana flanked from the left. The dragon roared and swung it's tail hitting the Amazonian princess before breathing fire at Pandora. Pandora jumped out of the way her clothes singed at the end by green flames.

"You will pay for aiding Danny Phantom!"

"We will see ghost!" Diana retorted as she ran in again. This was a worthy opponent indeed.

* * *

Superman found himself charging into the ghost army, grateful that his Kryptonian physiology could somehow actually hurt these ghosts. It seemed when they were solid that they acted much the same as any other overly powerful human. He found himself raging in the crowd, overcoming numbers by sheer strength. Danny had asked him to aid the ghost army without getting too involved with the 'hard hitters' so to speak. It peeved him a little, although he wouldn't admit it, that he was asked to fight the smaller ones rather than hash it out with some powerful entity. He knew though that the boy had trusted him with the people- err- ghosts that he cared so much about. He didn't want to see a single one of them ended on his watch. He was sure Danny would blame himself if even one did perish.

"Who is this human?" one of the ghosts cried in fear.

"I'm no human but I am merciful. Turn down your arms and leave now or face me," Superman called out as he punched another ghost down.

A few ghosts did run away but it seemed more just kept swarming at him. He fought, throwing and struggling to push the overbearing ghosts. What they lacked in power they sure did make up for with numbers. Clark felt about ready to suffocate when suddenly the weight shifted off him and he was met by the large figure of a yeti.

"Frostbite," he acknowledged as the ghost helped him up. He had noted this ghost before. He seemed to be pretty important during that council meeting with the resistance.

"You are a powerful being Superman but no one man can ever hope to stand up against an army themselves."

"A lesson hard learnt," Superman agreed remembering the time the Invaders came just because he thought himself strong enough to protect the earth. By disabling those missiles he had left everyone vulnerable. His guilty conscience had not cleared to this day.

"I will have your back," the Yeti said as he shot a ghost behind Clark with ice.

"And I yours," Superman replied with a respectful smile as he did the same for Frostbite.

* * *

"You're just an alien wench. How could you possibly fit in with those other heroes? You can't even discuss things civilly," Penelope laughed.

Shiera looked up and down at the lithe arrogant looking ghost and snorted. She couldn't believe that woman thought she could say such petty things. She was beginning to understand why Danny had assigned her to this ghost. She really didn't care all too much what a stranger thought of her.

Penelope noticed that she wasn't sensing any misery. Her smile faltered a little but she knew she couldn't give up. Her power rested on the fact that it fed of misery. She needed it to fight and the only way she could do that is if she were the dominant one.

"What no reply? Are you that dumb to not even be able to retort. I see you're only good for hitting," Penelope snaked cruelly.

An amused smile spread across Hawkgirl's face. It was certainly pathetic enough to laugh at. She flew towards the now frightened ghost and charged her mace. "I am very good at hitting. Why don't you see for yourself!"

It was at that moment that Penelope Spectra dawned with understanding. In other words… she was screwed.

* * *

John was not having a fun time. He would have been fine if maybe he could focus solely on fighting his assigned foe Skulker, but it seemed a lot of other ghosts wanted in on him at the same time. He could vaguely see Diana and Pandora duking it out with a large ghost in the background. He envied how the ghost army seemed to be avoiding them so as to not get caught in the crossfire of a raging dragon. Of course he had to be paired up with a machine based ghost that seemed intent on claiming he could not be dead.

"But you're green and you're controlling ectoplasm!"

"It's my ring goddammit!" John growled as he dodged the ghost.

Just as he was about to shot he saw Shiera swoop down from behind before slamming the robot with her charged mace. Skulker ducked within the suit as the mace grazed the top of his tiny head, breaking the suit of armour in half. He squeaked as he tried to fly away. Without his armour he was nothing.

Shiera watched the pitiful ghost before taking out the odd device Danny had given them and sucking the other worldly creature in. John looked at Hawkgirl and smiled. Hey at least now he could focus on the more annoying ones that seemed to be everywhere.

"Thanks for the assist but shouldn't you fighting your own ghost?"

"Already taken care of," she replied with a smug smile.

"Impressive," John commented with a smile. He really loved how productive this woman was.

"We'll go help J'onn. He's fighting that nightmare ghost remember," she told him kicking him out of his little day dream.

He flew behind her with a small smile. She really had a nice but… err… he really needed to focus.

* * *

"It's stopped," Dan said with shock as he looked up and saw that the zone had stopped destroying itself.

Danny found a smile spread across his face in momentary relief. "Sam and Tucker really do know how to save the day."

"It doesn't matter!" Dan yelled in anger. "Once I kill you the machine will up and running again!"

Danny panted as he blocked another barrage of ectoblasts from his evil counterpart. Despite the Ring of Rage driving his obsession to the limit and the Crown of Fire providing him with ectoplasm he felt like lead. His body trembled with exertion. The days of starvation and torture had not been lost despite the ectoplasm making his body look sturdy now.

"This is pathetic Danny," Dan laughed. "What have you been doing the past year since we fought? Well you know other than being beaten to a pulp by daddy dearest."

"Stopped an alien invasion, and you know been _exorcising,_ " Danny responded weakly unable to laugh at his own puns. "You're the older version of my right. Did you find any meaningful answers to life's tough question? Still haven't figured out why I want to run around in skin tight undies."

"You're attempt at humour is laughable," Dan replied as he finally broke the shield and blasted Danny to the ground. "Did you lose our flair for wit?"

"Don't judge me Edward Cullen," Danny retorted weakly although the fear was evident in his voice. "What did absorbing Vlad turn you into a brooding Vampire? I'm sure you're about to sparkle any moment now."

Dan growled dangerously as he grabbed Danny's throat and threw the teen to the ground. Danny felt a surge of pain flood through his throat and head as he hit the hard rugged ground. He wheezed as he felt the throbbing at his throat before he coughed out stinging blood.

"You've crossed the line," Dan growled.

"A-always h-hated Twilight. M-must suck for me to k-know all your w-weaknesses eh," Danny laughed nervously, his voice coming out gravelly and strained from the grip on it.

"Scream for daddy," Dan mocked as he took out the claw. Danny's eyes widened in fear as he looked at the device that his recently been used to torture him. He struggled in Dan's far stronger grip but was too late when he felt the familiar metal pierce through his skin. The foreign metal cracked through his ribs again as it dug into places it should not have touched. Danny screamed in pain and hysteria, the memory of his father coming back fresh in his mind.

' _Not again! No! No, no, no, no, no! Never again!'_

Danny screamed, this time not out of agony but rather out of labour. He grabbed the claw forcing it out of his chest, a move that was far more painful than having it stabbed, before he kicked Dan off him. The older ghost was surprised by the rather painful kick as he slammed into the ground behind him. Danny groaned as he tried to stand up before realising that he had no power. Rings of light flooded down his body and his eyes shot in panic.

"No, no, no, not now!" Danny yelled in frustration as he saw himself transform back. He looked up at the recovering Dan, eyes wide in horror as he realised what the vile ghost was holding… the Crown of Fire.

"Missing something my little King?" Dan laughed as he drew closer to the shivering boy. "You should really learn to take care of your valuables. I guess dearest father didn't love you enough to teach you that did he."

When Dan inched closer Danny scrambled away. He was afraid, so afraid. Why did it have to be him? Why did he have to be in pain? Why was he the only one who suffered? He didn't want it anymore. He couldn't take it anymore. He was scared.

"Look at you running away. How the mighty have fallen… well you were never mighty to begin with but at least you weren't a coward. Daddy really did break you didn't he. Well it doesn't matter. I will thoroughly enjoy torturing you to death. Can I hear you call out my name for me?"

"No! Stop! Please," Danny struggled as his older self pinned him to the ground, his hulking figure looming over him plastered with maniacal laughter.

Dan dug his fingers into Danny's chest. The boy screamed in pain as he felt his wound open up again, this time accommodating rough organic claws. He felt Dan twist inside of him and the pain, the pain was like nothing he had felt before. He could feel those hands grabbing at his broken ribs, ripping through flesh and muscle.

The boy's head lulled to the side as his vision blurred. He wanted to die. He wanted for this pain to end. He would do anything for it to end. He saw the odd watch on his wrist. What was it doing there he thought in oddly detached confusion. The pain seemed to linger in the back of his conscience as if he really was screaming and moaning in pain. But his mind was on the watch like it was something special and he should notice it. What did it do again… create a portal but it wouldn't work. The portal would be unstable anyway. He wouldn't be able to escape with it… unless he wasn't meant to.

With on swift move Danny took the watch, snapped it onto Dan's wrist and turned it on. The ghost looked at it in confusion for a second before his eyes widened in realisation. Danny watched in morbid fascination as a black void like event happened in front of his eyes. It sucked Dan in, distorting his body, making the evil ghost scream in torment Danny was used to hearing from his victims instead of from him. Soon the ghost disappeared into the watch and the watch into itself and he was left there on the ground.

The event silenced the zone. Everyone who was fighting stood still and the tremours and melting stopped. It was like time itself had paused for one eternal second to acknowledge what had happened. Danny found himself able to breathe again and his breaths came out ragged and hard.

He had stopped Dan…

He could sleep now.

-End-

 _ **Sorry for leaving it there. Next chap will be looking at the consequences of Danny and his father's actions. Sorry for the long wait but work has been piling up on me and mid-year exams are next week so I'll be on hiatus until then. I'll probably post the next chap up around next month sometime after my exams. I love you guys but not enough to jeopardise my final year of school. It's pretty important cause I'm trying to get a pretty high ATAR. So I hope you guys can understand why I won't be updating and all. Heck I shouldn't even be writing this now but I love you guys so I'm writing after study hours at 12 at night for all of ya awesome people.**_

 _ **Man I just couldn't stop with the puns today. I just can't stop once I start and I know this was meant to be a serious arc that dealt with a lot of deep issues but dammit I hate it when there's too much angst. I think I'm just going to have Barry and Vortex become unconventional buddies after this. I mean those two were cracking it hard there… although that was still technically me XD.**_

 _ **100 reviews and follows! Man I feel loved. Didn't think this story would be so popular but thanks for all the support guys!**_

 _ **For the random guest who asked if this could follow the tv story for Barry Allen I'll have to say no. That really doesn't fit well with the actual JLAU timeline however I can incorporate certain characters such as Cisco to help Barry but Caitlin Snow is still going to be Killer Frost in this.**_


	9. A New Beginning to an End

Chapter 9

-Start-

There was something almost terrifying about waking up to a large white ceiling that wasn't your own. The sterilised sent of a hospital didn't seem to help. The only thing that stopped the teen from screaming like a little girl was the fact that there was a large window to the left showing a magnificent view of space. He didn't think any Government organisation had experimental bases up in space so he relaxed easily. It was after he calmed his raging senses that the events dawned upon him.

His father… the man who had raised him, walked him to school on his first day, taught him how to make fudge had tried to destroy the world. That sounded like something Vlad or evil alien space invaders would do. It was his dad. His dad had done this. Bitter tears of agony trailed down his cheeks. He wasn't in any physical pain but it hurt so much more than any physical pain ever could. That's when he saw the ever unmoving figure of Batman stand by him. Danny clenched his shirt, his face red with anger, shame and a plethora of ambivalent emotions.

"Why! WHY! Why…" Danny cried out as he buried his face into his knees.

Bruce looked at the teenager, his features unmoving but a sense of solemn grief turning inside of him. When he had first met Danny Phantom, the ghost seemed bouncy, like a little fan-boy trying to keep with the grown-ups. Then he showed some part of him that resembled a real hero. He was beginning to see real potential until he found out what was really underneath that façade of witty banter and snarky comments. It hurt him to see him like this because he was sorely reminded of himself, the only difference being he had never tried to cover his anger and fury like Danny had.

"H-he was meant to be the good guy," he cried.

"He never was," Bruce said with brutal honesty.

Danny stopped crying, the tears of anger seemed to dissipate at his sudden disillusionment. Why had he convinced himself that Jack was good? Misguided… he was just misguided right? The teen desperately clung to that idea but he felt his grip on it loosen. Who was he kidding? He should have known from the start. He shouldn't have tried to see the world through rose coloured glasses. How many times did someone have to torture, starve and beat him until he got the message?

"I was such an idiot," he stated, the anger in his voice completely gone, simply leaving the hollow intone of truth. "He was never like that before. You have to believe me. He was a great man. Mom, Jazz and I would wait every Friday night for dad to finish up with his famous fudge. He was never good at cooking anything else but his fudge was delicious. It would be gone in a night…"

Somehow the story only seemed to depress the situation further. A sense of heavy loss overcame the teen who clutched at the blankets desperately. So many memories of happy times suddenly seemed so fake. The battle he had won earlier didn't elate his heart.

"Where is he?" Danny gulped looking Batman desperately in the eyes for some answer… any answer.

"He's in our holding cell. We wanted you to make the decision on what should be done with him," Bruce replied honestly.

Danny pushed himself out of the hospital bed with great effort. His body felt unsually heavy and he was tired. He looked down to see the Ring of Rage still on his finger. The Crown of Fire had been lost to Dan. It felt so wrong to have one without the other. What drove the rage without the fire to consume?

"You shouldn't be standing Phantom. You're still hurt," Batman commented.

"I've been stabbed countless times before," Danny waved off. "Call the team together. I need to finish what I started."

Bruce frowned but nodded. He was not about to argue with someone who had nearly died and had recently survived through torture. If the boy wanted his wishes now was the time Bruce was willing to grant them without question.

* * *

Barry waited impatiently in the meeting room. For some reason he found himself sitting by a bunch of children and it suddenly made him feel old. Tucker, Danny's friend, seemed to be practically bouncing up and down in his head while looking at Hawkgirl. Sam seemed content with simply worriedly glancing at the door again and again. Dani took the time to pester Superman about his abilities.

"So you're weakness is a rock? Why are you weak to your own home planet? Is that why you were sent to Earth? How does nobody know who you are if you don't wear a mask?"

Thankfully for the man of steel the door opened revealing a gaunt teenager. The children in the room seemed to perk up, their faces losing their innocent sheen as they practically jumped for their friend.

"Danny! Oh my god are you still hurt?" Tucker asked with worry.

"Shouldn't you be resting. I heard you were stabbed twice in the same place! You shouldn't be walking around like this," Sam continued ghosting her hands over his chest.

"You didn't tell me," Dani said weakly making the original gulp a little in guilt.

"Enough kids, you need to give Phantom his space," Barry said as he came in between them.

Danny sighed and slumped down in a chair. He really didn't feel like talking and seeing his friend's worried faces made him feel guilty. It didn't help that he knew what he was about to do. Why was he the one forced to make these gruelling decisions?

"I don't want to talk about what happened before you came," Danny said with all honesty. "That's not relevant right now."

"Danny-" Sam began before she was cut off.

"-We're here to talk about Jack Fenton," Danny cut.

Sam and Tucker looked on with worried interest. They had been waiting to wail on the man for quite a while now. Somehow that desire to hurt him seemed empty now with the way their friend looked so defeated. Danny never looked defeated. He always had something to say and he always gave the final word… so why was now so different.

"What is it that you want to do?" Superman asked breaking the silence.

"What happened yesterday should never happen again," Danny said with steely resolve. "People will want to know what happened and I will tell it to them. Jack Fenton tried to destroy the world and he will face justice but more than that I am sick and tired of people targeting the ghost zone. We need to make relations- laws, anything that could stop this mindless carnage from ever happening again."

"What would you have us do?" John asked.

"Call a meeting in with the World Assembly. I will propose peace… as King."

* * *

Iris watched the news with a shuddering breath. She watched as Phantom walked onto the stage, his appearance worn yet still authoritative. Despite it all she could only see a frightened child who was forced to make hard decisions. Yet she knew he could do it. It felt wrong to leave such decisions to someone who should not have to make them but she would be lying if she said she thought he was incapable.

"Phantom claims that the severe blast of natural disasters was caused by the collapse of our parallel dimension the Ghost Zone. Several paranormal researches have attested to the credibility of his statement. The perpetuator of this crime is one Jack Fenton, an obsessed ghost hunter who wanted to rid the world of ghosts."

Iris watched intently as Danny floated up to the podium. He wore a silver crown and a red ring she had never seen before on him. He looked tired but despite the obvious lines of worry that etched into his young face she could see a steely resolve.

"I come as an emissary and King of the Ghost Zone but also as a friend. Earth is our sister dimension and vice versa. I pray that a tragedy like this may never happen again. Countless of lives have been lost and more will unless we put aside our differences and come together in peace. That is why I propose the ecto-pact. No such invasion or world destructive plans will be accepted by any human or ghost."

With that Phantom had floated away from the stage and towards the Justice League. Iris only felt slightly relieved when it looked like the League had his back. Thankfully she knew Barry would take care of the kid if he needed anything. Her speedster seemed to have taken to the ghost boy.

"Whether Phantom is a hero or not we can be sure that another mistake like this will never happen again," the news reporter said assuring the audience.

Iris jumped a little when the bills on the coffee table flew with a sudden wind. She relaxed when she noted the red streak that followed along with it.

"Barry, you scared me," she said holding her heart.

"Sorry babe. I just needed to see if you were ok. The whole world did start crumbling in on itself when I was away fighting," the speedster apologised although he really didn't mean it.

"How's Danny?" she asked with a slight frown.

She noticed her husband pause as his normally bright brown eyes turned a little dark. She knew why. Barry saw Danny in himself. To this day she still saw his guilt, as irrational as it was, behind his smiling face. She could not understand why he blamed himself for Nora Allen's death. Maybe it was because she had been killed by association to a speedster who had it out for him but she always rationalised that it was Zoom's fault. Why superheroes seemed to blame themselves for everything bad that happens went over her head. She tried talking with Barry about it but he just looked at her like she wouldn't understand and it was frustrating because _he_ didn't understand.

"He's strong," he replied simply, although it seemed more like he was convincing himself of that. "Funny thing is here I am trying to get my dad _out_ of prison while he's forced to put his father _into_ prison."

The humour was lost behind those words although he chuckled lightly. Iris cupped Barry's face, her hands tracing his taunt jaws and feeling his stubbled chin. He was like an angle. When she saw him she felt like laughing, crying, telling him how proud she was all the while trying to get him to stay. She didn't see him as the invincible hero many others saw him as. She didn't see him as the annoying, wise-cracking rival his enemies saw him as. She saw him as Barry Allen, her husband, the man who had faced every adversary with a smile and a joke, but also as a human. One day she was afraid she would lose him to his job.

"Help him Barry. God knows there's no one else out there worrying about him," she said softly.

"He has friends," Barry replied.

"But no family," Iris countered. "You know what we have to do."

Barry nodded as a cheeky grin caught his features. "Mommy Iris and daddy Barry. Aren't we a bit too young to handle a teenager?"

Iris chuckled and hit his arm weakly. Barry muttered something about not getting to change diapers before he raced to the kitchen. Iris huffed her red hair out of her face before smiling a little. She was sure of one thing she would have to share her married life with the fridge because if there was one thing her husband loved more than her it was a stacked fridge.

* * *

Danny didn't look at the social worker or the cops that took him in. They gently interrogated him (as gently as they could for an interrogation) about what happened with Jack. He simply told them the truth. He knew nothing until it was too late and by then it didn't really matter what Jack did because the world nearly ended. His throat felt like there was a rock clogged in it when he admitted to his father having created machines to destroy the Zone. He felt immeasurably guilty for giving them concrete evidence to put him solidly away behind bars. He felt even worse when he thought of the consequences of his actions.

"I'd like to see him in private," was all Danny could ask.

The cop looked at the distraught boy and nodded. Danny knew that people might suspect his involvement at first glance but it became increasingly evident to them that this was just a son who saw the ugly side of his father. If only they knew the whole truth, Danny snorted. But they could never know. He would never intentionally tell anyone. Some part of him still didn't want to admit that Jack, his father, had abused him all these years.

He was taken into the highly secured prison. Steel and brick merged effortlessly to make him feel claustrophobic. Something about the compact bareness of the place could make anyone feel entrapped. When the officer stopped in front of the door that would invariably hold his own father, Danny could only gulp and take a shuddering breath. His fingers trembled around the handle before it managed to somehow open the door. He gave the officer one quick look of gratitude, god knows the man could have turned him down, before he walked in.

Jack sat there behind the thick glass wall. He didn't look too different in his orange prison clothes but it all seemed too surreal. Danny looked into loathing eyes and flinched back a little at the intensity behind them. They were his eyes… Maddie had always told him that he had Jack's eyes. Somehow that minor detail, he once would have shrugged off, seemed to hurt him far too much.

"Are you happy? Are you happy that you threw your own father into prison? You're the fucking ghost! I will tell everyone you're a fucking ghost!"

Danny bit his lips. Some part of him still wanted to shrink back despite there being a glass wall in front of him, despite knowing he had the upper hand. Some part of him still thought that this was his fault. For what? What was his fault? Existing? He didn't even know anymore but one single glance from Jack made him want to shrivel and end.

"The GIW are disbanded," Danny pointed out tiredly before he continued, "and Phantom has made relations with the world. Even if you were to give out my identity nobody could touch me. I have diplomatic immunity as a King."

"You're fucking lying! You think you can talk to me this way? Once I get out of here-"

"Don't you see!" Danny interrupted in a bout of rage as his arms opened and gestured to the prison cell, "You fucking tried to destroy the whole world! Y-you hurt me so many times and I turned a blind eye believing everything you said… and maybe- maybe you were right but you crossed the line when you _murdered_ countless of innocent civilians. Do you know how many people died because of your vendetta?! Millions! Millions died around the world because the Ghost Zone is fucking connected to our world!"

Jack growled before hitting the glass door in rage. His form crumbled to the floor as sobs wracked his body. Danny stumbled to the glass as he knelt in front of his father. His hands touched the cold barrier that stopped him from coming in contact with his dad.

"You will be feared," he said weakly as he looked back at Danny with loathing tears. "I will tell them and you will be feared. Do you think they will allow you to roam free on our planet anymore?"

Danny's body went rigid. Jack seemed intent on telling everyone about him. It seemed his earlier attempt at keeping the man silent was thwarted. He frowned, not wanting to pull out the last trick he had up his sleeve. He felt immesurabley dirty at having to result to black mail.

"Do you think your fellow inmates will take kindly to a child abuser?" Danny whispered, looking his dad straight in the eye.

"Y-you wouldn't"

"Wouldn't I?"

Danny couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't pretend that he was strong, uncaring… he stood up and turned away to leave. He heard Jack stand up and bang at the glass wall in frustration.

"You're a fucking monster! You just proved you are a fucking monster!"

Danny hugged himself as the door was opened for him revealing a very worried looking officer. He quickly gave the raging prisoner a glare before closing the door to a very frightened looking boy. He couldn't believe that someone would say such things to their own child.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"F-fine… he didn't mean it," Danny replied weakly. "You know how people get on their periods."

The officer laughed a little and the tense situation defused slightly. Danny nodded to himself. This is what he needed to do, continue the way he was before, before everything went into the pot holes of hell. Danny's thoughts were interrupted by a stalk lady walking in. She was well dressed and looked rather pretty but it was her tired eyes that caught him off guard. He'd never noticed it before, the way their colours dulled ever so slightly, almost as if they lost their spark. Her smile however genuinely reached her eyes and they shone a little brighter when she saw him.

"Mrs Warren," he greeted politely.

"Angelica," she corrected.

"More like an angle," Danny rebutted.

An amused smile caught her lips before she turned to the laughing officer. He caught her stern eyes and dulled his laughter the best he could. Could you blame him? It wasn't every day you saw a teenager flirt so well with an older women.

The officer patted the teens shoulder before whispering in his ear, "You're going places in the future."

Danny snorted and waved the man away before he turned to his social worker. He felt tired but the depressed circumstances from just a moment ago seemed to be a dull ache compared to a stabbing pain. It was time he stopped making excuses for his father and started being the man he used to be. He was beginning to tire hating himself, cursing his own existence, and although some part of himself believed it the other was tired. A bed sounded nice.

"You look tired," she said as she led him out the hallway, out of the suffocating prison walls.

"That is very observant of you," Danny replied sarcastically although his tone was dark.

"Hmm… I was going to discuss with you the availability of other suitable guardians but maybe we can wait."

Danny's head shot up instantly at the sudden news. He didn't expect Angelica to have moved so fast into this. He didn't even think about it himself. Where was he meant to go?

"A notable billionaire has already asked for your adoption," she said with a curious frown.

"If it's a guy named Vlad then tell him to go find a cat," he replied instantly with a frown.

Angelica filed it into the back of her head that Danny seemed to know something about Vladimir Masters and that there was some bad blood. Certainly when she talked to the old man she saw a dangerous glint behind those strawberry laced words. She wasn't so young as to look through the world through rose coloured lenses anymore. She knew when someone like him came around with no reason at all that there was some sort of motive behind it.

"We've looked for other relatives but your grandparents are too old and you're aunt lives in too a rural place to send you there. There has been another offer though… a man named Barry Allen. Have you heard of him?"

Danny nodded with a surprised but small smile. "We're good friends," he answered.

"That's good to know. I can arrange a meeting and we can discuss this if it's what you want."

Danny didn't respond. He was too shocked to respond. Sure Barry had told him before to come over if anything went wrong but he didn't think he could interrupt his life with Iris by being his ward. It was a shock to even think someone would want a kid around intruding into their affairs in the first place.

"S-sure… I uh…"

"I'll get it organised. Just get into the car," she huffed.

Taking one quick breath he simply nodded. Letting his mind go blank and finally let someone else do the thinking for once.

* * *

The room felt awkward, not the tense sort of awkward, but the awkward sort of awkward. It seemed no one expect for Angelica knew what they were doing. Barry and Danny were pretty sure they were making fools out of themselves by acting like awkward twelve year olds. It all seemed like a huge mess of fluff that neither inflated male egos could admit to taking comfort in. Thankfully Angelica really lived up to her title as an angle and went through the legalities in less than an hour. It saved whatever pride the two men had in themselves.

"So..." Barry began pointing to his car.

"Y-yeah," Danny agreed scratching the back of his neck.

Angelica and Iris sighed before shaking their heads in exasperation. This level of awkward was becoming even more than the two women could handle. Somehow they both couldn't help but think that the two men were perfect for each other. They certainly were both socially inept at times but adorkably cute at the same time.

"Take care of the kid. It's not every day you find out your dad's a mass murdering super-villain," Angelica told Iris.

"Will do," she replied shaking the taller woman's hand. "He's taking it incredibly well."

Angelica frowned and shook her head in disagreement, "I know it when they aren't. When you've worked in my line of business you know when a child has been beaten down. Whatever Jack Fenton did to Daniel goes past the bounds of simple neglect. No one gets over something like that easily."

That conversation made everything suddenly seem so infinitely different for the new guardian. She looked at the car and her husband intoning her to get in and somehow the light hearted situation seemed darker. She knew what Jack Fenton did to his son. She'd seen him hit the boy and yell at him outside the context of discipline. To what extent or how long it had been going on she had no idea but it didn't take a psychologist to know that it would mess someone up.

"He'll certainly not be dealing with anything of that sort anymore," Iris said with convicted finality.

"You shouldn't keep the boys waiting," Angelica replied with a small smile.

Iris waved goodbye to the social worker as she got into the front seat of the car. It felt weird knowing that they had a kid… ward… ugh whatever you wanted to call him, in their car. She didn't need to look at the other two boys to understand the same sentiments were going through their heads. She looked at the mirror and caught a glimpse of the teen. She was stunned into silence for a second at his expression. He looked serine, a small smile adorned his usually tense face, and it looked like he was about to cry.

"Danny, are you alright?" she asked despite herself.

Some sort of realisation dawned on the boy as he noticed his cheeks were wet. He quickly wiped away the tears unsure of what he was feeling. He knew that he should be feeling sad, like there was some overwhelming loss he had to consider but instead he felt relieved. It dawned on him that he wouldn't be hurt anymore because he was going to live with Barry Allen, his friend and hero. He wasn't going to be beaten, or forced to starve, or forced to wear a spectre deflector… he was going to live with a friend.

"I-I'm fine. Well actually scratch that, I'm a kid who fights ghost in spandex so maybe I do need a shrink."

Barry chuckled a little. "So do you guys want some celebratory tacos?"

"Why tacos?" Iris asked in confusion.

"Calories?" Barry replied unsurely. "Why can't it be? I mean tacos are amazing."

"You just feel like tacos don't you," Danny pointed out smirking.

"You got me there," Barry admitted, "although we're still getting tacos since you didn't really object."

Danny watched the interaction with amusement. Maybe- just maybe things were going his way.

-The End-

 _ **I think this is a nice place to end this story. There's a happy ending and everything plus I don't want to have to write chapters and chapters of Justice League episodes with Danny slammed into the middle of it. It just wouldn't be original and if I were to ever write more for this it would diverge heavily from the canon show because I'm sure none of you want to read episode scripts with Danny in it. **_

_**But wait… there's probably going to be a sequel! (Maybe... there's some chance if I find the motivation)**_

 _ **Other than that keep a look out for my next DP crossover. It's going to be a DP crossover Marvel Cinematic Universe fanfiction. It'll be a lot less angst ridden than this story but it'll have a lot more darker themes covered by funny quips. Danny'l find himself stuck in another universe in Hell's Kitchen with a slow buildup as he meets heroes like Spiderman, Daredevil and eventually join the Avengers. I've already wrote like half of it so I'm in the process of editing and fixing plot points that I just figured out don't make sense. And that's why children you only post a fanfic after it's mostly written. **_

_**Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! You guys have been a blast!**_

 _ **Curry-llama**_


	10. Ends Mean New Beginnings

Chapter 10

 _ **This chapter is set seven years in the future. Danny is 23 and a pretty awesome adult to the boot now. I mostly wrote this to clear up the some misunderstandings and to illustrate aftermath of the events from the story. Enjoy**_

-Epilogue-

Twirling the canister in his hand was only the beginning but soon the quick precision of fingers to metal and the general expertise of the fancy movements enthralled the audience. With a charming smile Danny shook his cocktail and poured it out for the mesmerised girl in front of him. She watched in apt wonder at the suave and unusually laid back man in front of her.

"My lady," he offered with a smile that said he didn't take himself too seriously. Anyone else and she would have huffed the hair out of her face and walked away but she knew him as the genuinely fun loving kind. Often his way of showing affection was theatrical and extravagant and she didn't want to change it. Sometimes the lengths he took their dates made her feel extra special.

"You're making a spectacle out of this," she pointed out in amusement as she took the cocktail.

"Anything to impress you Sam," he replied easily.

A comfortable silence passed the bar table. There weren't many people around tonight and Danny had pulled a few strings to get the manager to let him use his amazing skills to impress Sam. In all honesty he had been practising a week just to show off to her in a cool way. Tonight was a special night and he wanted it to be perfect for her.

"Do you remember the day I finally asked you out?" he asked with a reminiscing smile.

"How could I forget? 6 years ago this day you invited a whole Mexican themed band to come by and play an 'I love you' song. Everyone was certain you were asking to marry me."

Maybe if he was his awkward 17 year old self he would have blushed and stuttered in embarrassment but now he just laughed it off. The years he had lived with Barry had taught him one great lesson; that life was meant to be taken in strides. Once you lived past the whole ego business it seemed a lot easier to unwind and simply enjoy whatever you had. No longer did he have to worry about acting mature and uptight. All he had to do was simply let go of the small things and life looked a whole lot brighter.

"Well the Mexican band was amazing and so were the chimmichangas,"he pointed out with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Sam gasped, "You didn't"

In perfect timing the Mexican band marched in with their guitars and put two plates of freshly fried chimmichangas on the table. The girl looked at her boyfriend in utter wonder, and before she could acknowledge her embarrassment at being caught in a fancy Italian restaurant with a _Mexican_ band, her breath was caught by the sudden kiss. She melted instantly and forgot her meagre worries before pushing away and smiling like an idiot at him. Before she could say anything he got down on his knees and took out a small box and her hear skipped a beat.

"Sam, my beloved goth girl, will you marry me?"

"Yes, and I'm so going to quote that to our future children!" she exclaimed in pure joy as they hugged and kissed.

When the half-ghost took her in his arms and kissed her, the cheers of the crowd seemed lost. It was just Sam and him and the world was perfect… until he caught the brief flash of teal. He froze for a second before reminding himself that this wasn't the time to be regressing. He was with Sam and no matter of metaphorical ghosts could haunt him away from her.

"Danny, are you alright?" Sam asked catching his distracted gaze.

His attention instantly snapped to Sam and the lopsided smile came back in full blast. Thankfully he didn't have to answer as Barry and Iris walked in along with Sam's parents. The goth gasped and a face splitting smile crossed her face as she hugged her parents.

"I can't believe you managed to pull that off," Barry said with a proud side hug.

"Yup as cheesy as it was before," Tucker added as he took a bite out of the fried burrito.

"That was unbelievably romantic," Iris agreed before she nodded her approval.

"Thanks guys," the now engaged man replied as he turned to Sam's parents. "I can't say how much it means to know I have your blessings. Sam is the most amazing woman in the world and I can't see myself living with anyone else."

"You better take good care of her," Mr Manson said with a smile.

Taking his seat again next to his future wife he slid comfortably within her arms feeling a joy he thought he had forgotten. Somewhere deep inside he could imagine his parents and Jazz sitting on the table as well, holding his hand with excitement and approval. He had long come to terms with the sense of loss he had felt as a sixteen year old. It still hurt like he was sure Barry felt every time he thought of his mother but he had moved on. His thoughts were taken back to the sudden flash of teal he had seen in the corner of the now receding crowd who occasionally cheered them good luck. It sent a shock of painful nostalgia down his spine and memories of his sister came full thrust into his mind. For a split second he was sure he saw it again.

"Danny, you're looking a bit pale," Iris noted.

"Honey, are you feeling alright?" Mrs Manson added.

The halfa nodded but decided to stand up. "I just need to go to the toilet for a second. Maybe it's the food," he lied as he got up and left. Thankfully they didn't suspect it was anything other than the food as he had suggested. Over the years he had made it a habit to hide his discomfort and he had mastered it to an inane level.

He made his way through the restaurant and finally came outside when he caught a whisk of orange hair and a familiar headband. He gasped as he pushed past the crowds outside the streets to chase after the receding form. His legs struggled to push itself forward as if suddenly he had lost all control over his never-ending stamina. His breath was ragged and uncontrolled and as if a hammer was thudding on his chest he could feel his heart beat a million miles per hour. His mind screamed at him to stop so that he wouldn't face the heart break when he realised it was yet another trick his mind was playing on him, but when he saw her just within his grasp he couldn't stop. Hands extended out as far as it could before it caught her arms.

One touch was enough. This was Jazz. His Jazz.

"Jazz," he croaked, his voice pleading and desperate.

She turned to face him so slowly it seemed like an eternity before he saw her face free from the shadows of the night. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and her face gaunt as if drained of whatever life was left. He let go quickly and stumbled away in horror suddenly hoping this was just a hallucination all along.

"Danny," she acknowledged.

With one look he could see the expressions pass through her eyes like she was unsure of what to think. Joy, apprehension, anxiety, pride… guilt. It plagued her mind at night and her soul had withered from the torment. Now that she looked at her brother stumbling away from her the pain she felt surpassed any physical pain she could have felt in the past. She knew of what she had done and she knew of how she ignored it, ignored his pain and selfishly continued with her life as if nothing were wrong. Now she was here, on the one day he was meant to be happy, and she had messed that up as well.

"J-Jazz," he whispered again, his hands reaching to touch her face, as if to see if she were tangible. He drew closer until he completely enveloped his sister's small form in his embrace. She drew into the embrace with shaking arms wondering when he had gotten so big. The last time she had hugged him he had been so small and it was her arms around his figure. Suddenly she felt so small.

"I-I'm sorry," she cried, tears falling uncontrollably into his chest as she sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she repeated as if it was a mantra.

"Jazz-"

"-I'm sorry that I left, I'm sorry that I wasn't there, I'm sorry that I never came back, I'm sorry that I ruined this day for you, I'm sorry-"

"It doesn't matter," Danny said sharply as he cut his sister mid-sentence. His temper turned furious as he hugged her tighter. He didn't care if he was meant to be angry at her, and he didn't care that she felt guilty and he just couldn't care less about how messed up this was. She was here now, in his arms and he didn't want to let her go. It was selfish, and cowardly, and he knew that he should hate her and never forgive her for leaving him when he needed her the most… but he didn't care.

A humourless laugh escaped her mouth as she wiped away her tears and pulled away from his embrace. All those years she had left and he had remained the same while she had guilt eat away at every living fibre. All those years and he was still the same old loving Danny.

"You haven't changed"

"I've grown taller"

'Just like dad' she thought but didn't say. Her expression darkened again as she wondered if she should tell him. She had mustered all her courage to meet him today after she had stalked him for 3 days but as her horrible luck would have it she had picked the one day he was meant to be happy.

"I should go," she mumbled.

"Don't do it again!" he yelled in frustration as he stopped her in her tracks. "Please don't… it hurts so much Jazz. Let's forget everything! Come back with me and we can have Italian. I know how much you love napoletana pasta. Jazz… please."

One mention of the pasta Danny always used to cook for her sent her stomach churning in disgust. She hadn't eaten it since the day she had abandoned him to his fate. She couldn't deal with how much her dad had changed and how different it was without the mother that had raised her, taken her shopping and helped her pick out her dress for prom. Because she was weak she had left her brother and now she was about to do it again. She could see the way his crystal blue eyes were begging her to stay and although her guilt and shame screamed at her to run away she couldn't. She had hurt him enough.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness," she croaked in frustration.

"You don't," he agreed, "but neither do I."

"It wasn't your fault-"

"It was my fault. I cursed the woman who raised me and the last words she had heard from my mouth was 'I hate you'. Jack would stay awake for weeks afraid that my words would have caused her to become a ghost. I drove him to madness and I drove you away… it was cruel of you to leave but my sins can't be forgiven."

"You can't honestly believe that," Jazz mumbled. "I didn't blame you Danny… I knew that it wasn't your fault. When dad… when Jack changed like that I couldn't bear to analyse him. I knew what I was going through. I counted the stages of grief as I passed them myself and yet it did nothing. If it were anyone else I would tell them how to move past it, how to remain strong- but I couldn't even help myself. I used everything I knew from the textbooks to relieve my pain but when I saw you it hurt all over again! I was weak and I left because I was weak! I left because it was easier to just run away!"

Her brother paused and worry tinged his senses as if everything that happened for the past 7 years depended on this moment. One wrong word and he was afraid she would run again and he wouldn't be able to contact her. All he could do was beg her silently, watching her every twitch as he wondered if she would dart any second. Every moment seemed immeasurably long.

"Tomorrow, 5pm at Nasty Burger," she finally said. "I'm sorry I ruined your special day."

With that she left, this time walking away. He watched her disappear into the crowd he found his strength give way. Stumbling to the nearest wall he held on for support. Throughout his life he had faced foes that would send grown men crying for their mothers and he had stood his ground but one talk with his sister and he felt week kneed.

The restaurant seemed less lively as he walked in, as if the excitement from the flash proposal had died and the families and friends settled down for idle chatter. His eyes fell on his table and noticed the way his new family were talking with animated excitement and even Sam's usually stoic expression had turned comically happy. If he walked in now he feared he would ruin this perfect moment. He just wanted to watch them for a while. Life was more perfect than it had been before and all of a sudden it seemed to be crashing down on him.

Sam turned her attention to her fiancé when she noticed him standing by the door. Her smile instantly faded when she noticed how pale he looked. Putting down her wine she excused herself and walked to her lover. Her hands moved to his arms and held him close, looking him deep into his crystal blue eyes in worry.

"What happened?"

"I saw… Jazz," he admitted, unable to lie to her.

"Is it the hallucinations again?" she asked in sudden dread.

"No- not this time- this time she was really there. I swear on it Sam. You have to believe me!"

"I believe you."

She found his arms wrapping around her body, trembling slightly as his breath hit her neck and his face buried into her throat. Leaning forward she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and bought him in, standing on her toes to accommodate for his height. There was something final in the air, as if something had happened that would shaker her world again.

"She told me to meet her at Nasty Burger at 5 tomorrow."

"Then go. She may not have been there for you but she's family."

"I was planning to," he replied smiling slightly. "Let's worry about that tomorrow. Today is our special day."

* * *

7 years and Danny wondered how Nasty Burger hadn't changed a bit. He could practically visualise his younger self running around with Sam and Tucker as they caught the Lunch Lady. A smile tugged at his face as he remembered those days before he had moved to Central City. He was still best friends with Sam and Tucker after moving away and he wouldn't have had it another way. His smile vanished when he saw Jazz and Vlad sitting at a table together.

"What is he doing here?" Danny asked curiously.

"Danny, it's about dad… Jack."

His attention turned to his sister instantly when the name of their father was mentioned. A part of him hoped that maybe Jack wanted to reunite the family again and apologise for everything he had done. In a second Danny was sure he would forgive the man. He had visited him every year and every year all he got was a string of curses and death threats. Somehow he knew that with solemn way Jazz had said his name that it wasn't the case.

"Please don't drag this out longer than it has to Jazz," Danny snapped as he rubbed his temples to calm himself. "Just tell me what happened and get this over with."

"At 1:43 four nights ago, Jack hung himself in his prison cell," Vlad said as he put a comforting hand on Jazz's shoulder. The girl sniffled a little as she turned her face away.

Danny didn't know what to feel. A snarl crossed his face in irritation. All those years of love and torment and he had chosen the easy way out. Danny would admit that sometimes he thought of it too. In the words of Hamlet consciousness does make a coward out of a man. Why jump from one known uncertain into another unknown certain? It made him a coward but it didn't make Jack brave. He thought, that maybe, it was this preconceived idea that the man would be around forever, a driving force of his life, pushing him, hitting him down, and just in general being there, haunting him like a ghost would.

"I suppose I should be happy," he commented dryly surprising his sister.

"Danny, he was our father."

"Yes the father that starved me, tortured me and then proceeded to destroy our world."

His anger receded when he noticed Jazz had clamped up in sudden realisation. He feared that she would leave like she did before and he only stood still in assurance that Vlad was blocking her exit by sitting next to her. Now that he looked at his once arch-nemesis he didn't see that calculative glint in his eyes, nor the way he held himself tall and proud. Vlad Masters had regressed into an average man, although by every standard he could be more, but his drive was Madeline Fenton and she was no more. Once in a while he could see the glimmer of hate and resentment thrown his way but he deserved that for what he had done and he knew he resented himself far more than Vlad ever could.

"The responsibility fell down to Jasmine's shoulder of the fate of his body. There aren't many places that want him buried there considering he would be buried besides the people he killed."

"Not so natural disasters," Danny mused before he sighed and sat down. "I'm not the best person to consult and neither are you Vlad. In a way be both resent him and love him."

"I have offered to let him be buried next to Maddie despite the repercussions it would have in my political standing."

Danny played with the fork on the table and frowned as he looked at Jazz. In a way he could care less what they did with the body but his sister would feel differently. He knew she hadn't seen the worst of him, that the report of his hand on the death of countless lives would seem farfetched and she would only ever see a once bubbly man reduced to a spluttering mess because of grief. He had seen worse, things that still kept him up at night, and her absence had played a part in it. It hurt a little every time he thought of her abandoning him but he still cared for her, and he desperately wanted her in his life again.

"From dust to dust. It doesn't matter what we do with the body as long as it helps the living move on. I-I will never be able to understand how I feel about Jack. He hurt me and loved me and it took me years to understand that what he did to me was wrong. I've come to admit it was evil… that he was in a sense as evil as many of us are capable of being. He has only proven that he couldn't be redeemed and that is the end of him for me but it isn't for you," Danny said looking directly at Jazz. "You still love him; to you he's still a man that didn't deserve to die. You need to move on. Cremate him, bury him, heck- shoot him into space if it helps. Once he dies in here," Danny said pointing at his heart, "then you can move on. If he's not in the Ghost Zone then leave him to the fate he chose because there's no point clinging to something that will never come back."

Jazz watched her brother's emotions as he ranged from angry to sad to bitter and to cold. She saw it the way his eyes flashed green before his expression softened and then turned melancholy. Ambivalence was the word for it- the way he couldn't think straight and she could only relate. Her mind reeled at his speech, something far beyond the simple minded thoughts she was used to from her kid brother. He resented Jack, and she could blame him little, but she saw the way he looked at her and it made her heart sink. He looked at her with the same ambivalence, as if she was both hurting and comforting him at once. Through it all there was a longing that surpassed all other emotions. He was calling for her to move on with him. It was the same look he gave her after mom had died and she resolved that she wouldn't run like a coward for the second time.

"I'd like for him to be buried next to mom. There will not be a need for a funeral, just a priest and us," she said sinking into her seat.

Danny nodded his approval before he leaned over the table and hugged his sister. She let herself sink into his warmth before finding her resolve. She would run no longer.

* * *

It was cold, lonely, and isolated. The simple tomb-stone lay next to its partner's reading:

Jack Fenton

A loving husband

A dedicated ghost hunter

Destroyer of worlds

-End-

 _ **I wrote this because I got a lot of shit about how Jazz was out of character and how she would have gotten involved with Jack after he became a convicted criminal. It's not that I hadn't considered the textual integrity of my plot or that I had forgotten about her but I wanted to leave her out intentionally. Yes she would have visited Jack sometime after the events that unfolded but I wanted this story to be about Danny moving on. You'll be surprised by the people who will leave you when things get tough. Sometimes you need to go through a life altering moment to realise that even your family won't stick with you till the end (and before you ask yes I did go through one of those and my brother certainly did nothing for me). I might sound pretty nihilistic when I say this but when things get tough people crack and when they leave they feel too guilty to come back and make it up to you. I assumed that Jazz would be having second thoughts about her brother after her mother's death as it was partly Danny's fault and she would blame Danny for the change in Jack's attitude a little even if she doesn't admit it to herself and leaves with the excuse that she has work to do. And finally before you argue that Jazz would never do that and that I'm portraying my pessimistic view on everybody I have to disagree. Some people will stay with you through thick and thin and some people won't. You won't be able to find out who it is until you go through crap and assuming that Jazz's fragile state of mind she was more likely to crack. If you think otherwise I really don't care because she could have turned either way with her reaction. Grief can do unusual things to people. Also I didn't leave her out because of lazy writing. I didn't just 'forget' that Jazz existed but I also didn't want her to be part of this story as it was mostly about finding new family and letting go of old ties. This chapter just kind of adds to the whole letting go of old ties theme.**_

 _ **Sorry about the rant… actually I'm not really but I'll congratulate anyone who bothered to read the whole thing.**_

 _ **Other than that I'm writing a Marvel/Dp fanfiction that I am super excited about. I'll probably post it sometime next week so keep a look out for it. It's set after PP when Danny finds himself in another universe entirely where he's not super famous and he'll have to deal with his anonymity again. It's more fun in nature to this story which in my opinion is a bit too dark, however the other story will be rated M because it'll be set in Hells Kitchen and there will be scenes of human trafficking and general human assholery but in all honesty it's way more light hearted than this stor**_ y.


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